Bereft
by Lindsey Dylan
Summary: When war breaks out on Tamaran, Mar'i Grayson is left with no choice but to leave for a planet called Earth. Beret of her maternal family, she searches for her father. When she does, he wants nothing to do with her. He doesn't even care that's she left with no choice but to live with a boy... but why? He cared for her when she was young but now he's just pushing her away. It hurts.
1. Prologue

**Hey, guys! ****So welcome to my first ever Teen Titans fanfic. You see, I usually do OC/OC pairings not actual character pairings so I'm kind of new to that. I promise that I'll find a way to work that out, but I can assure you that I will get their personalities right. I'm sorry if my plot seems a bit too mature for a T-rated fanfic. I intend for the fanfic to be mature, dark, and violent, somewhat dramatic here and a little trauma there with character-deaths and bloodshed added into the mix. I'm planning to start off with whole distant father/daughter relationship thing and work my way to a great father/daughter relationship. I know Mar'i Grayson (Nightstar) and Robin aren't RobStar, but RobStar will happen. It'll be a while, but I can assure that what I have planned for them is gold. So I have a really good feeling about this fanfic and I really hope y'all like it because I know I like it (I mean, I wrote it after all). If y'all are interested in reading any of my other stories, then you guys are welcome to check out my profile. I'll also be posting a full characters list so y'all can see who will be featured in my story in my fanfic. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.**

**Happy reading!**

**~Bereft~ (I really don't think this title fits my story, so if y'all have any good title suggestions then please send it in with your review)**

* * *

_**~Prologue~**_

* * *

"Where could she be hiding?" A young woman, heavily pregnant with auburn hair asks herself as an eight -year-old girl with straight hair floats behind a desk.

The woman giggles quietly and she walks towards the center of her bedroom. She wears a purple gown that flows down toward the pink-peach carpet covering her purple flats. It has a transparent, shimmering layer on top of the solid purple. She wears a silver V-shape band that hugged her waist and the usual silver clothing around her neck, gloves, and armband. The M-shape silver tiara frames her face and her hair is curled at the tips, ending at her waist.

"I know she is in here somewhere." The woman says.

She hears the girl giggle once more and the woman heads toward the desk, turning her back towards it. "Has she disappeared into thin air?" The woman glances back at the desk where the young girl ducks her head and gives another giggle.

The woman gives a small laugh as well. She walks toward the desk and kneels down where she meets a floating girl. "I have found you!"

"No!" The girl says, stifling her laughter.

"No?" The woman asks, tickling the girl's tummy. "Then who is this?"

The woman stands up and the girl laughs as she comes out from under the table and into the woman's arms. The girl is wearing a pretty coral dress decorated with a simple pink bow around the waist and her long, dark hair is tied up into ponytail by a pink ribbon. The girl looks up at her mother as her laughter settles down.

"I'm good at hide-and-seek, Mom." The girl says. "You didn't find me for a while, but then you did."

The young mother giggles at her daughter's excitement and place her down on her feet.

"You did." The woman says, taking the girl's hand and leading her toward the door. "But now it is time to join the family for dinner."

The girl nods and stops walking, turning around.

"Mom, I have to put my shoes." She points down at her bare feet.

"I almost forgot." The woman sits the girl on by a nearby chair and walks toward the pair of shoes that are near the bed.

Dust falls from the ceiling as the ground begins to shake, causing the woman to lose her balance a bit. The woman stops and turns towards her balcony as she grabs the pair of shoes. The sky is filled with bright lights and high-pitched sounds in air. There's an explosion, making the room shake again. Dropping the shoes, the woman runs toward her balcony and looked around. An alarm blares loudly and warriors took flight. Restless noise began to take hold of them and more explosions hit the ground as well as the air. The room shook once more.

"Mommy!" The girl yells with her eyes wide in fear.

The shaking causes the girl's chair to wobble and fall over sideways with the girl falling off.

"Mar'iand'r, stay where you are!" The woman says calmly.

She looks out once more. Unknown enemies start to fly down their ships carrying heavy weaponry. Warriors were mobilizing and the once peaceful night is suddenly filled with the typical war sounds. Shells start to come down in the direction of the castle. Panicking, the woman turns around and runs inside. A shell hit the palace and the explosion causes the room to shake violently. The balcony begins to crumble and finally collapses, breaking off of the palace.

The woman's feet are now hovering above the ground. She flies at a quick pace towards Mar'iand'r and she picks her up. The woman continues to fly at her speed, almost reaching the exit. But the room shakes again. A bookcase falls on the woman and she falls to the floor, causing her tiara to fall off her head. The woman isn't hurt though as she manages to push the bookcase off her.

Something begins to crumble as dust falls onto her shoulders. She looks up and sees the cracks in the roof. There's a loud cracking noise and the roof collapses. The woman picks up her daughter and manages to hover back in the air, flying out of the room before the roof can collapse again.

The woman set her daughter on the ground and they both turn around, startled when a man with auburn hair appears behind them. The man, though more lean and fit, has features in common with the young woman such as his golden-tan skin and his completely green, pupiless eyes **(A/N: I always found it weird that the Tamaranians had green sclera and no pupils, but then again they're aliens)**.

"Koriand'r, thank X'hal you and your daughter are fine." The man sighs in relief, hugging the woman and her child.

The hug, however, is short and brief. The man turns and he flies ahead of them, clearing the way. Koriand'r stays closely behind with Mar'iand'r flying beside her.

"What is going on, brother?" she asked.

"An invasion, they've caught us off guard." Her brother explains as they take a left down the hall and fly down the stairs. "K'norfka Galfore is already mobilizing the warriors. The children and pregnant women were already taken underground to the bomb shelter. You must join them. It won't take them long for they get inside the palace and try to capture the royal family."

"Ryand'r, I wish to join you in battle." Koriand'r shakes her head

"Kori, you are being absurd." The man, Ryand'r, scolds. "You have your daughter and your unborn child to think of. You and Komand'r are staying underground. You cannot battle in your current condition. Being close to delivery, any type of injury you sustain will affect your child."

"No, I am going with you." Koriand'r glares as the ground below them shakes when they come across a blocked exit hall.

Speeding up his velocity, Ryand'r clears the way with his fist. Koriand'r followed behind through a cloud of dust. They meet with a group of ten palace guards on the other side of the hall. Koriand'r keeps a strong embrace on her daughter as their feet hover above the ground.

"You will stay with the other women and that's final." Ryand'r gives her a stern look.

He looks at the guards. "Make sure my sister and her child arrive at the bomb shelter safely." He says. "Take them through the back exit, through the palace garden."

* * *

The palace barely stands as the guards inside it rush about, equipping themselves with weapons and proper battle garb. Meanwhile, ten guards are busy escorting a Koriand'r and Mar'i through the palace garden** (A/N: Tamaran was actually once a fruitful, fertile land but I guess so many wars took place on its soil that it lost all its fertility and thus became a barren, mountainous wasteland.)**. Mar'i is easily distracted by some of the garden's pretty sights, but Koriand'r manages to get her attention and bring her to focus. But it isn't until Koriand'r's a bit further out from the palace when she suddenly feels a strange sensation. The tightening in her stomach has recently been attributed to her, being that she's so close to her delivery date, but now…

A sudden wave of pressure strikes her body and Koriand'r doesn't know what to do. She grabs onto a nearby tree as she, Mar'iand'r and the guards hurry through the palace garden and she holds onto its branches. As she does so, she causes the weaker blossoms to fall down around her in a strange snowfall of petals. If she hadn't been in pain, she would've gushed over the sight. But the moment the pain lets up, she begins flying as fast as she could. Koriand'r knows so little about what to expect, she just wants to get to the bomb shelter before anything can happen.

There is a fountain of white marble in the middle of the garden and Koriand'r sighs in relief. She hopes she can make it there before the pain comes back, so she could sit on the edge and wait out the ordeal. But it's already coming back; she can feel it and she rushes. She barely makes it. Her hands grip the cold stone as she fought another one. Ironically, she's more concerned about falling backwards into the water than her current condition.

She realizes how close she is now to the shelter. Though the pain hasn't ended yet, she tries to call out to the guards. But it her call is only a tiny little squeak of "Help!"

She sits on the fountain edge, taking slow measured breaths. Her mind plays every awful scenario she can think of happening her. She becomes lost in thought that she doesn't notice the guard and the handmaid running up to her. "Your Highness, I apologize sincerely." The guard quickly says. "I thought you were with us."

The woman waves it off and winces as the pain returns. "Just get me to the bomb shelter." She replies.

"Koriand'r, is something wrong?" The handmaid asks. "You look pained."

"It's time." The woman, Koriand'r, breathes out sharply.

* * *

Dust falls from the ground above and the entire haven shakes, the result of a recent bombing, as the guard carries Koriand'r into the underground bomb shelter. There are a few woman and children, taking refuge inside as the war goes on the surface above. The guard sets Koriand'r down carefully on a decent bed. A woman quickly approaches the guard and Koriand'r. "What is wrong with the princess?" The woman asks.

"She is about to give birth." The guard replies.

The woman quickly looks over her shoulder and yells out in a foreign language. Two other women arrive, taking up the roles as midwives along with the first woman. As Koriand'r sinks a bit into the somewhat comfortable sheets, she thanks the guard before he leaves for war. He nods and exits. But the moment he leaves, the handmaid from before enters the shelter with an old, rusty bucket of warm and old, tattered, but still useful, rags. Two of the three women move to her sides and hold her legs up in the stirrup positions, instructing her to keep her chin down so it touches her chest. Koriand'r nods and obediently follows their orders. One woman takes one of the rags and holds in front of the princess. "You must bite on this once you go into labor, the Citadelians will have their men looking for you and we cannot have your screams risk the safety of you and your child." The woman explains as Koriand'r bites down on the old rag between her teeth while the woman holds it place for her before removing it.

The handmaid leaves the water and the rags, heading over to help the other women and the children. Just then, the first woman calls out to a fourth woman in the same foreign language she used earlier. The fourth woman walks over and smiles at the Koriand'r. "How are you, Your Highness?" The woman speaks gentle.

"It hurts." Koriand'r whispers back to the woman, quivering in fear and shaking from nervousness. "Where is Komand'r and Mar'iand'r?"

"It will be alright, your sister is partaking in the war with Emperor Galfore and Prince Ryand'r." She tries to reassure her, "He requires their assistance. And your daughter is playing with some of the other children in the shelter. However, the other midwives and I will be here helping you."

"I am glad then." Koriand'r smiles.

Her eyes close, her breathing suddenly constricting as the shelter shakes again after another bombing. The midwife stepped forward, "You are doing fine." Her voice was low, encouraging.

With experienced hands, the woman pats Koriand'r's cheek. She sits down on an empty part of the bed and works at brushing the young woman's hair back from her flushed skin. Caressing her face as a mother would to an ill child; she's gentle with her young charge. "You must breathe, despite the pain." The first midwife says. "You will tire easily if you hold your breath, Your Highness."

"I cannot help it." Koriand'r replies

"Yes you can; just try." The third woman says, nodding the handmaid over.

The handmaid nods back and walks over to Koriand'r, lending her hand to the princess. Koriand'r's grip tightens on the handmaid's hand as she draws small, short breaths, exhaling nearly as fast. The pain ends and she draws in a long gasp of air. Smiling, the fourth midwife nods, "Now, try to breathe normally between contractions, slow and measured."

The woman nods the handmaid away, sending her to draw a warm bath. The second midwife places her other one upon Koriand'r's stomach. With her consistent, good nature she asks, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Is there anything I can take for the pain?" The princess asks.

"I am afraid we do not have anything of the sort." The fourth midwife admits, "Just think on a pleasant thought. When this is all over, you'll have a little baby."

"I wish I already had the baby." Koriand'r complains. "But, I do wish to walk around a bit."

"Are you sure?" The second midwife asks.

She nods and the midwives help her up from the bed. They did not allow her to let go and, truthfully, she did not trust herself to, lest she fall in her pains. With slow and steady steps, Koriand'r walks around the shelter with the handmaid at her side. Her instincts tell her to keep moving and so she did, but she's not yet halfway into another walk when she feel a new strange sensation. She realizes that the sensation has been the trickle of water down her legs. The fluid begins to pool at her feet, not too quickly, but enough to cause her alarm. Her frightened eyes turn to the handmaid, who held her hand.

The woman quickly calms her down and says, "It is alright, and that is supposed to happen. Your labor may even be quicker now."

"Really?" Koriand'r asks.

"Well, there are no guarantees." The handmaid replies.

The young princess sighs and rubs her belly with her free hand. Under her own palm, she can feel it. Again it came, and she held onto the handmaid as she contracts, leaning forward slightly. This time, the handmaid hears a distinct moan come from her lips and she looks over at the midwives. The four woman nod back at her.

"Why don't you try a nice warm bath?" The handmaid suggests to Koriand'r.

Koriand'r looks at the midwives; they nod vigorously at her. And so, handmaid helps Koriand'r into the makeshift lavatory. The handmaid arranges the room to the princess's liking, keeping the water warm and laying out towels. She gives a hurried curtsey and rushes from the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

The midwives all help Koriand'r back to the bed after she finishes her bath. They help her lie down and Koriand'r assumes her previous position as the first and the second midwives hold her legs up in the stirrup positions while she lowers her chin down to her chest. The third midwife gets the rag from before ready for the princess to bite on while the last midwife stays between her legs, ready for delivery. Koriand'r loses track of the time. Her pains keep coming, though they're never close or far apart. If she's lucky, they're less than a full minute, but more often than not, she suffers for the full time. In this fashion, hours pass. Ironically, the only one who's able to pass the time is the handmaid. The handmaid wanders about the shelter, tending to the children and women and taking care of the elders. One of the midwives yawns. And when the latest and particularly painful spasm hits her, she moans loudly and mumbles something about being exceptionally tired.

She moans in pain as another contraction hits her. Koriand'r tries to count how long they lasted. But this time, she couldn't keep up. It seems to go on forever. Her skin trembles and a cold chill ran over her. Not two minutes after the first one ceases, there's another. The intensity results in a small cry of pain.

"Your Highness?" The third midwife puts a hand on her cheek, "How do you feel?"

"I feel cold and hot at the same time." Koriand'r replies.

She nods, "Could you lay back for me?"

Koriand'r complies and the fourth midwife lays her hands at the bottom of her belly, on her hips. For a moment, she simply feels before she gives a smile, "You're almost there, dear, you'll be ready to push soon."

"Push?" The young princess asks with some fear in her voice.

"Don't worry, Your Highness; your body will know what to do." The midwife nods.

Koriand'r leans back into the pillows for a moment, sighing. She assumes back into position and nods.

* * *

The ground above doesn't stop shaking as bombs keep falling without stopping.

Nearly an hour ago, the princess had entered the second to last stage of her labor. There has been some comfort. But as long as the pains hold up, Koriand'r would not be getting the relief she so desires.

She moves back and forth on the bed, shifting her body as much as she reasonably can. With one such movement, she grows a bit nauseous and she's forced to lie upon her back until it passes.

"I cannot do this!" Koriand'r cries exasperatedly, running her own hands through her hair.

The handmaid has been sitting on the edge of the bed, finding it easier to accommodate her current state if she took up as little space on the bed as possible. "Of course you can, you're the princess of Tamaran." The handmaid reassures her. "You come from a line of strong Tamaranian warriors."

Koriand'r feels her body changing; of course, it's been stretching and altering itself for the three years but not in ways that she has felt before. This is different. Her hips are shifting in ways both painful and necessary. Then there is the immense pressure that's currently in her back muscles. "How do you feel, Your Highness?" The fourth midwife sits down at the end of the bed, her hands applying gentle pressure to Koriand'r's stomach and hips while trying to guess where the child is.

"Terrible, my back is aching." She moans.

"You are almost ready." The midwife sorts through her satchel before she finds a small vial. She tilts it, letting the oil onto her palms and presses them together. Very gently, she rubs the lotion onto Koriand'r's thighs and stomach, letting the sweet perfumes and cooling sensation sink into her skin, "It is an old tradition."

"You can think of it this way: Once you have the first child, all the childbirths should be easier." The third midwife chuckles.

"I will not be having any others!" Koriand'r sighs.

Smiling, the midwife continues her ministrations to her charge's aching legs with the oil, "You might think differently once you see the child."

"Please do not tell me how I'll feel; I know perfectly well how I feel." The young princess says.

"Absolutely," She grins and continues on, "You make the rules, dear."

In all honestly, Koriand'r doesn't know how she did feels at the moment. Every part of her body comes together with her pains and then breaks apart when they cease. She's connected to the world around her and, at the same time, very alone.

She tries desperately to ignore the new urge that she's feeling; she didn't want to acknowledge it. Having neither slept nor ate for hours, she can't imagine that her body is demanding more of her. Everything about her is sick and sore, exhausted, and she only wants a brief respite from all this torture. She wants to be able to cry out and wail against the situation she's been placed in.

This isn't her though. Cry she might, but she won't give up. Everything that she has been through, she shouldn't be afraid of such a natural process.

As the contraction ends, she realizes exactly she was that she had been feeling all through the last one. Staring at the midwives, she says, "I am ready."

The fourth midwife nods at her, "I was waiting to hear that."

Taking a blanket from the handmaid, she sits it upon the edge of the bed and bids Koriand'r to sit upon it, "You are going to be right here, and you –" She points to the third midwife, "You sit behind her. The birth will be easier if she is sitting up."

The third midwife moved to sit behind the princess, holding the rag out for her to bite on. Koriand'r leans back against her, biting down on the rag.

The first and the second midwives take up their positions on either side of Koriand'r and support her legs while the handmaid lent Koriand'r her hand to squeeze in a death grip, though it didn't hurt since all Tamaranians have the power of superhuman strength.

The fourth midwife kneels down, having no other option. "When you feel pressure again, you must push with it." She says. "Your body must tell you what to do, trust it. However, try not to exhaust yourself."

It starts and the princess of Tamaran gives it her best effort. She holds onto the edge of the bed in a tight grip. Her eyes shut tightly, exhaling very slowly. The first effort produces nothing to spur her onward though and, before too long, she has to relax. The midwife pats her inner thigh and asks, "Are you ready to try again?"

"Yes." Koriand'r nods.

"Alright, push." The midwife says.

Koriand'r did so, bearing down hard; her wavy, auburn curls falling over her shoulders as she leans forward. She can actually feel something this time, the child moving within her. Koriand'r lets out a small, but still loud, scream in pain. The midwives shush her as the sound of feet walking on the surface above is heard in the bomb shelter. The third midwife forces Koriand'r to bite down on the rag. A few minutes go by quickly along with the sound of feet and volume inside the shelter returns to normal.

The midwife puts her hand to the space just under Koriand'r's belly and she smiles up at her before telling her, "Keep going if you can."

In actuality, she couldn't. The pain eases away from her as the contraction ceases and she is able to lean back on the third midwife.

"Just relax your body; do not push again until you feel like you need to." The third midwife advises her just as another bomb drops on the ground and explodes upon impact.

"That is very fine with me," The princess gasps, breathing hard. For a moment she lets her head fall back onto the third midwife's shoulder.

She breathes out as the muscles in her stomach tighten back up. Forcing herself back up, she waits for the urge to come again and focuses in upon it. This time, she takes the hands of her handmaid. Koriand'r can feel the child move just a touch more before she had to stop.

Unfazed, she lets herself draw air for just a few seconds before she tries again. "Excellent, Your Highness! Keeping going, keep going!" The encouragement did its trick and she presses forward with her efforts.

As if the pain in her muscles isn't enough, she begins to feel another discomfort. There was the sensation of heat in her lower body, building towards something rather unpleasant.

Apparently, this indicates something to the midwife as well, and she stops talking to check the progress of the child. Seizing the opportunity, Koriand'r takes a brief respite.

"I would like you to push once more and then you may rest again." The fourth midwife says.

Unknowing of what's coming next, she complies with the request. Feeling the child move downward, Koriand'r becomes aware of a strong stinging sensation.

"Stop now, give yourself a moment." The first midwife replies.

"It feels like it is burning!" Koriand'r complains.

"That is quite normal." The fourth midwife says.

"I have to push again." The young mother insists.

"No!" The third midwife speaks with a more forceful tone, "Give yourself a moment."

She can neither fight the pain in her, nor can she push again until the next contraction. Koriand'r feels as though she's being tortured by forces outside her body now and she did not like the midwives so much at this moment.

The midwives are no fools, they know exactly how Koriand'r is feeling and the fourth midwife looks up at her with an encouraging smile. "The head is down now, I just want your body to adjust first; it will be easier on you this way." She says

"I hardly think any of this is easy." Not an entirely pleasant tone as the contraction ends, but at least she isn't taking out her anger on anyone.

This rest is different. She feels herself regaining the strength that had felt sapped from her very bones as she readies herself for the oncoming pain.

Her next push is strong and it finally appears to her that she is making progress. The midwife was excited, "I can see the head!"

Koriand'r keeps pushing and struggling as best she can, but she stops to breathe again.

"You are almost down, Your Highness." The second midwife smiles at her.

Taking a few moments for herself, she rallies her strength and bores down again.

"You are doing excellent, Your Highness, please do not stop." The fourth midwife says.

The first midwife takes a moment to peer down at what's currently happening to the princess and see if the child's any closer to entering the world. She gives a small gasp and coos.

"What is it?" Koriand'r asks, gripping onto the handmaid's hand.

"The child has your hair." The midwife replies, as though she was relating a secret.

In that moment, she wanted to meet this child, who already has her auburn hair, more than ever.

Another strong push would be the last. This time, Koriand'r cries out at the pain that feels as though her body might break in two. She cries out her anger and frustration at being in pain for so long, and she cries out in her own joy at finally being at the end of her pregnancy.

The midwife catches infant in her waiting arms and pulls the rest of the child from its mother. "It's a boy!" The midwife chirps, handing the baby over to Koriand'r.

Koriand'r holds the slippery infant to her chest as the handmaid hurries to retrieve the blankets that have been set aside for such a purpose. Koriand'r collapses back into the third midwife's arms just as the handmaid takes her child from her. Everything seemed so very quiet to her now, the only sound she could hear was the gasping of her own breaths. But something is wrong. She can feel it. Koriand'r gasps as another bomb drops. The fourth midwife's eyes grow wide. She lays her hands on Koriand'r's hips and at the bottom of her stomach again. "Another baby is coming." She says as the other midwives return to their positions.

"How many more do you think there are?" The second midwife asks as Koriand'r leans forward, pushing.

The fourth midwife feels around Koriand'r's stomach and hips. "She was pretty large, so I believe that she was expecting three babies." She replies as Koriand'r leans back to take a break. "Though, this one is already almost out."

Koriand'r sighs. Her stomach tightens and she leans forward again, pushing as much as she could. "Please, Your Highness, this is a good time for a break." The fourth midwife says.

The pain eases away and Koriand'r leans back into the third midwife again, panting heavily. Her chest rises and falls with each pant. But the pain returns again when the twenty-first bomb drops. The princess leans forward, digging her teeth into the rag, and pushes with a small, painful cry as the next baby slips out of her. She leans back against the third midwife. "It's a girl… but… that's odd." The midwife mutters that last three words.

"Is something wrong with my child?" Koriand'r pants.

"No, nothing's wrong, Your Highness." The fourth midwife shakes her head, beckoning the handmaid over.

The woman whispers something into the handmaid's ear and the handmaid nods before taking the baby. "Are you sure something's not wrong?" The princess asks with a small hint of worry in her tone.

"I assure you, your daughter is fine." The midwife smiles. "Now just like before, do not push until you feel the need to."

Koriand'r nods.

* * *

The handmaid carries the second daughter to the back of the bomb shelter and quickly splashes some cold water onto the baby's face, but she doesn't seem to stir or cry. "Please wake up, your mother will wish to see you at one point." The handmaid begs the child.

She rubs it back, hoping that the little girl might make some sort of noise than not make any at all. "Please, little one, please do something." The handmaid begins to panic, but forces herself to stay calm as she stimulates the young child's feet.

Nothing happens, not even a twitch or anything. She continues the stimulation just as a young woman walks toward her. "Is something wrong with the princess's child?" The woman asks.

"She did not cry when she was delivered and she still will not cry now." The handmaid replies quietly, holding the baby up in mid-air by her feet.

The handmaid proceeds to spank the baby's bare bottom but even that didn't make her cry. The handmaid places her ear on the baby's chest. It didn't rise or fall. "She's stillborn." The handmaid murmurs. "She wasn't even alive in the first place."

* * *

It's a while until the last wave of pressure returns to Koriand'r's pelvis. She gasps, moaning loudly as she leans forward to push. She counts one second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten seconds and the pain dies down, finally fading away. Koriand'r sighs in exhaustion and relief, hearing a small wail. "It's another girl." The midwife announces happily as Mar'i flies past her. "Congratulations, Your Highness!"

The fourth midwife gets off her knees and stands, groaning. She walks towards the back with the handmaid just after the last baby is taken to be cleaned up along with the others. There is a silence, allowing Koriand'r to lie back on the bed and relax. She pants and gasps, her chest rising and falling. Suddenly, the silence in the air is pierced by the cries of babies. Another cry can be heard soon after, and it takes Koriand'r a moment to realize it's her own. She laughs as tears come to her green eyes and begin to fall down her cheeks. Her entire body shakes as she watches as the handmaid and two of the midwives clean the infants and quickly wraps the children up to keep them warm. Just then, three people enter the bomb shelter and the women, elderly, and children bow before they are given the permission to rise. It is two men, one with auburn hair and one with red hair, and a woman with dark-hair. Sweat glistens on Koriand'r's golden-tone skin as she gives the three a small smile. The auburn-haired man is her brother, Ryand'r, and the woman with dark-hair is her sister, Komand'r, which left the redheaded man to be her k'norfka Galfore. Galfore is the first to step towards her and he brushes the sweat from his surrogate daughter's face, "Your mother and father would be very proud of you." He says

"I know, but I wish they could have been here to witness this joyous event." She sighs, exhausted from the day.

"How many are there?" Komand'r asks, sitting by her sister's side.

"There are three; a boy and two girls, just like us." Koriand'r smiles.

"We must celebrate after the war." Ryand'r suggests.

"I agree." Koriand'r nods.

The midwives and the handmaid walks back over to them, "Here are your children."

They lay the small bundle into Koriand'r's arms while the other one is given to Ryand'r. Wrapped in one of handmaid's white blankets, the little boy in Koriand'r's was lightly crying and whining at her new surroundings.

The first midwife had not lied about the child's auburn hair. Koriand'r continues crying as her fingers touch the soft, luscious strands. Mar'i, who is sitting by her mother's side, looks over at her little brother and beams. "He's looks so tiny." She giggles. "Was I that small when I was born?"

"No, you were a bit bigger than him." Koriand'r grins.

"Mom, can I hold him?" Mar'i asks.

"Of course." She nods, instructing Mar'i hold to her brother properly.

Galfore extends a finger to touch the little closed fist that's so adorably small. When the child curls his hand around a thimble covered digit, he opens his eyes to look at them. They're all shocked when they see his eyes. They're blue, not green like rest of them has.

Koriand'r smiles, but her smile suddenly disappears when she looks at Ryand'r. She notices he's holding the little girl, the second child. The third child has Koriand'r's auburn hair and her eyes, making the child Koriand'r's spitting image. But Koriand'r looks around, frowning when she doesn't see her second child anywhere. She looks at the fourth midwife. "You said there would be three children, I see the first and the third but I do not see the second." Koriand'r says. "Where is my other daughter?"

The midwives and the handmaid look at each other with sad expressions. The fourth midwife looks to Galfore and she beckons him over to her. Koriand'r grabs his hand, preventing him from leaving. "Galfore, what is happening?" Koriand'r asks.

"I do not know, but I intend to find out." Galfore replies as Koriand'r lets go of his hand.

"Did something happen to my sister?" Mar'i asks, picking up on Koriand'r worry.

"No, I am sure that she is fine." Koriand'r lies, hoping that her daughter will just shrug and move on.

He walks over to the midwives and the handmaid slowly as Koriand'r turns her head back to her brother and sister. "So what will you name your children?" Komand'r asks.

"My son will be named Alexand'r." She replies.

"And what about your daughter?" Ryand'r says.

"Oliv'iand'r," Koriand'r comments.

"What will you name your other daughter?" He asks.

"Sava'nand'r is a nice name." She replies.

"Those are beautiful names, sister." Ryand'r nods in approval.

"Thank you, brother." Koriand'r nods back as Galfore returns with another white bundle in his arms.

He holds the second And'r child in his arms, though the white blanket completely covers the child within as if to hide her and her face. And the expression Galfore bears signifies that something is wrong. "Galfore, what happened?" Komand'r replies.

Galfore beckons them, both Komand'r and Ryand'r over. They stand up from Koriand'r's bed and walk towards the Grand Ruler of Tamaran. Koriand'r watches Galfore's lips move as he talks to her older sister and younger brother. Her sister asks him a question and he brother follows up with a statement, to which Galfore responds to both. Their conversation is over and they walk back to Koriand'r. "Galfore, brother, sister, I do not understand what is going on." Koriand'r says. "Is something wrong?"

"Little Mar'i, will you go play with the other children while I speak with your mother?" Galfore asks.

"Why can't I stay?" Mar'i asks.

"This is an adult matter." He explains kindly.

"I see..." Mar'i has a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Mar'i, please, k'norfka Galfore is asking kindly and he gave you a reason." Ryand'r says.

"Fine, I'll go." Mar'i sighs.

She hops off her mother's bed and flies off towards a group of five girls playing with dolls made fabric. "Galfore, what is wrong?" Koriand'r asks as Galfore hands her the bundle in his arms.

"Oliv'iand'r has gone into the embrace of X'hal." Galfore sighs sadly while Koriand'r takes the bundle into her arms.

Koriand'r quickly hands Alexand'r over to Komand'r and takes Oliv'iand'r from Galfore's arms. She unravels the bundle and she gazes over the baby. Koriand'r lifts a finger to her daughter's nose and she is distraught when she doesn't feel her breathe, or let go of a breath. "She is stillborn?" Koriand'r asks with a heavy heart, her bottom lip trembling.

"She was dead before she was delivered." Galfore replies.

"But I do not..." Her voice trails off, reminiscing earlier events.

_The room shakes again. A bookcase falls on the woman and she falls to the floor, causing her tiara to fall off her head. The woman isn't hurt though as she manages to push the bookcase off her. _

"The bookcase." She mutters.

"What?" Komand'r raises an eyebrow.

"A bookcase fell on me and Mar'iand'r after the fifth bombing, right after the roof collapsed in my room." Koriand'r replies shakily as hot tears fall from her eyes, providing them with a stinging sensation from the saltiness, and roll down her cheeks, landing on the sheets below.

She curses in her native tongue at the five women who keeps their distance from her. "You have deceived me!" She yells at them. "You have deceived me into believing that my daughter was alive when she had died!"

The women look down at the floor, unable to look at the second heir to the Tamaranian throne, while the other inhabitants in the shelter and Mar'i stare at both the five women and Koriand'r. "Koriand'r, it is not their fault." Galfore sighs, placing a hand on her shoulder. "They had not meant to deceive, or trick you."

"Then what had they meant to do?" She spats.

Galfore looks at the floor, finding himself unable to think of an answer. A dreadful silence fills the room as Koriand'r holds her dead child, caressing her daughter's skin and running her fingers through her thick, straight, black hair. She plays with her daughter's tiny hands and fingers, curling and uncurling the fingers, and she plays with her tiny feet. Koriand'r lifts one of its eyelids, just to take a peek of her eyes. Her eyes are blue. "I cannot bear to look at her anymore, take her out of my sight please." Koriand'r sniffles, her back shaking as she cries silently.

The handmaid nods and she moves to take the baby out of Koriand'r's arms. She adjusts the baby to hold it properly and immediately rushes out of the area, carrying the baby with her. Koriand'r wipes away her tears. "Galfore, would you like to hold them?" Komand'r asks, motioning to Alexand'r and Sava'nand'r.

"Yes, please." Galfore nods, receiving both children.

"Now that you have given birth, you will have to stay here until your children are old enough to be left with Mar'iand'r." Ryand'r says. "And it will not be long until you are fit again to join the war."

"I do not wish to think about the war as of now; I only wish to spend time with my children until it is time for me to come out of hiding and join the fight." Koriand'r replies. "This war with Citadelians shall be the last time they ever set foot on our land."

* * *

**I hope y'all liked it. I really poured in a lot of effort and sweat into the prologue and I will doing the same for all the other chapter. Anyways, please don't send me any flames. I'm a bit sensitive, so please don't be too harsh or anything. I can accept criticism, but not if you're being a rude jerk. So R&R please! Later gators!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 10 Reviews (please)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! ****Thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot to me so thanks a lot!  
**

**Enjoy!**

_**~Bereft~**_

* * *

**_~Chapter 1~_**

* * *

**11 Years Later...**

* * *

"This war is not letting up." Ryand'r sighed as he and Koriand'r entered Galfore's tent.

Komand'r was already inside, speaking with the Grand Ruler. "I see that." Galfore agreed. "This war should have ended before Mar'iand'r turned fifteen."

"You do not seem to understand how stubborn the Citadel can be." Komand'r shook her head. "They will not stop until they get what they want."

"And what is it they want?" Koriand'r placed a hand on her hip.

"What they have always wanted from us in the past wars they've declared on us." Ryand'r said. "They want to conquer Tamaran and claim this land as their own."

"But, it is a wish we cannot grant them." Galfore replied.

"Unless they are just waiting for us to form a treaty with them..." Komand'r's voice trailed off.

Koriand'r's eyes immediately grew wide. "No, absolutely not!" She growled. "They will not take my children away from me. They are not slaves and neither are our people. I do not wish to put either through what I have endured in past... and at the hand of my own sister."

Koriand'r glared at Komand'r. "We deeply understand, Koriand'r." Galfore nodded.

There was a moment of silence. "Do we have any other solutions to ending the war?" Koriand'r asked calmly.

"Kori, please, just listen to me." Komand'r pleaded.

"No, why should I listen to you?" Koriand'r said. "You wish for me to give up my own children as a method to end the war, just as Mother and Father gave me up."

"It is not safe for the heirs to the throne of Tamaran to stay here much longer." Komand'r replied.

"Nor is it safe to hand them over to the enemy." Koriand'r retorted.

"If you let your children stay, there is a greater risk they will die by the hands of the enemy." She stated. "Our men and women will not be able to stand longer. We have already lost some of our best warriors. Even if your children are forced to endure abuse and torment, at least they will still be cared for. You have already lost two children, does Tamaran need to lose the remaining two because you are being stubborn to see the threats they will face if they stay?"

Koriand'r looked at Galfore for help on the matter. "Galfore?" Koriand'r asked. "What is your opinion?"

"I believe Komand'r is right." Galfore sighed. "I understand the idea of handing your children to the Citadel is most foul, but they will be well cared for on that ship. Keep in mind that the Gordanians will have to keep them in a good condition if they are to be sold as slaves. As long as the Psions do not get involved, they will be fine."

"Ryand'r?" Koriand'r turned to her brother.

"I agree with Galfore." He sighed. "Even I cannot bear to think of handing my nieces and nephew to the enemy, but I also wish for them to be in a safer environment than this one."

Tears formed in Koriand'r's eyes. She nodded. "It has been decided then." She said hoarsely. "We will hand my children to the Citadel... but we will not stop fighting until they have been liberated."

* * *

"It's OK."

"I am afraid."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, you got me after all."

The young, dark-haired teenager hugged the little redheaded girl in her arms as dust fell from the surface above while they sat on a bed. "Can we go see Mother?" The redhead asked.

"Sava'nand'r, you know Mother told us to stay here during the war." The dark-haired teen scolded lightly, helping the girl underneath the covers. "We're here for our own safety."

"What about Aunt Komand'r or Uncle Ryand'r?" The little girl, named Sava'nand'r, said.

"They're both busy with the war." The teen sighed, tucking the girl into the bed. "You should get some rest while you still can. I know it's a bit noisy outside, but you need your energy so you can help care for the younger ones and our elders."

The girl nodded and laid her head back on the pillow. "Mar'iand'r?"

The teen, Mar'iand'r, turned her head. She looked at her mother's former handmaid, now her handmaid. "Yes, Ch'Lana?" Mar'iand'r replied.

"T'Reva is ready to give birth." The handmaid, Ch'Lana, said.

"I'll be there soon, do you need water?" She asked.

"If you can find some." Ch'Lana replied.

"I'll see what I can do." Mar'iand'r nodded. "Can you get me my cloak and the pail?"

"Of course, Your Highness." Ch'Lana nodded back and turned around.

Her feet lifted off the ground and she flew off. Mar'iand'r stood up from the bed and smoothed out the skirt to her somewhat revealing coral dress just as Ch'Lana made a quick return with an old, gray cloak and a rusty pail. She helped Mar'i put on the cloak and lifted the hood up just enough to hide Mar'iand'r's face in it. "Mar'i, I wish to go with you." Sava'nand'r said, flying out of her bed. "I do not wish to be here without you."

Mar'i talked to the girl in Tamaranian but Sava'nand'r wouldn't have any of it so she replied back. Mar'iand'r heard a muffled scream and sighed. "Alright, but you can't wander off and you'll have to keep up with me because I won't slow down." Mar'i gave her younger sister a stern look. "I mean it, Sava'nand'r, don't wander away from me."

"I will not wander off." The younger girl promised, rolling her eyes.

* * *

The war going on had made food scarce and it decreased most of the water supply. Tamaran was no longer fruitful and lush as it once was. It became a barren, mountainous wasteland and the soil had lost all its fertility from all the bombings. But there were still some places that hadn't lost its fruitfulness.

Mar'iand'r heard her mother, Koriand'r, yell out orders to the men and women in her army from a distance as she and a cloaked Sava'nand'r traveled Tamaranian land. They flew, making travel faster and easier, but they didn't fly so high where they could be spotted easily. They heard a rumble and they looked behind. All they saw was a mushroom cloud of smoke. "I pray to X'Hal that Mother, Uncle Ryand'r, Aunt Komand'r, and Galfore took cover before that bomb dropped." Mar'iand'r sighed.

She looked towards her sister, noticing how she stopped flying to stare. "Sava'nand'r, don't you dare think about screaming." Mar'iand'r hissed. "For all the Citadelians know, the children of Koriand'r all died when the palace was first bombed. We can't run risk of letting them know about Mother's lie if they hear you scream. X'Hal knows what they'll do if they find out."

Sava'nand'r looked down at the ground as she flew after her older sister. "Mother could be hurt though." Sava'nand'r murmured. "What if she has been fatally wounded?"

"Mother's fine." Mar'iand'r reassured her, though feeling a bit doubtful herself. "We come from a line of strong Tamaranian warriors, we're born to fight. Remember? I highly doubt Mother has been injured."

Sava'nand'r nodded, but sniffled, as they approached a small patch of trees. "Are we almost there?" Sava'nand'r asked.

Mar'i narrowed her eyes to squint and she nodded. "We're not too far, see?" Mar'i pointed out to a small lake of clear, transparent blue.

They flew closer and closer and the lake became more visible each time. When they arrived at the lake, they landed on the ground and Mar'iand'r immediately knelt down and began filling the pail with fresh, cold water. "Should we pick some of these flowers for K'norfka T'Reva?" Sava'nand'r crouched down next to a bed of light blue flowers. "And they are her favorite color as well."

"I'm sure she'll love it if you brought her some." Mar'iand'r smiled slightly at her sister's kindness.

Sava'nand'r grinned and quickly picked a bunch of the blue flowers from the ground. She lifted off from the ground with Mar'i and flew beside her sister as they hurriedly left the lake.

* * *

"It's a boy!" Mar'iand'r beamed as her k'norfka's newly born child slipped into her arms after a few hours of delivery. "Congratulations, K'norfka T'Reva."

"Thank you, Mar'iand'r." The young woman, older than Mar'i, panted as Ch'Lana took the baby from Mar'iand'r's arms to clean it.

Sava'nand'r poked her head through the makeshift curtains. "Has K'norfka given birth yet?" Sava'nand'r asked.

"Yes she has." Mar'iand'r nodded, cleaning her hands and arms with a soaked up rag.

Sava'nand'r poked her head back out and walked in. "Congratulations, K'norfka T'Reva." The Sava'nand'r said.

"Thank you, Sava'nand'r" T'Reva smiled.

"Look, K'norfka, I have brought you flowers and they are your favorite color too." Sava'nand'r chirped, handing T'Reva the bouquet of blue flowers.

"How thoughtful." She commented.

"Was it a boy or a girl?" Sava'nand'r asked.

"It was a boy." T'Reva replied.

"Then the color of the flowers was most appropriate." Sava'nand'r giggled as Ch'Lana returned with the baby. "I was certain it would be a girl though."

She sets the child in T'Reva's arms and left. "Sava'nand'r, come on." Mar'iand'r said. "K'norfka needs her privacy right now so she can nurse her baby."

Mar'iand'r's younger sibling nodded and followed her out. They noticed how quiet it has become inside and that all the woman, children, and elders were bowing down. They looked towards the front of the shelter by the entrance. Their mother, aunt, uncle, and Galfore stood before them. "All have permission to rise." Galfore says.

The people rose and continued their previous activities as Mar'iand'r and Sava'nand'r walked towards the other members of their kin. "What happened?" Mar'iand'r asked, gaining the attention of the others in the shelter.

"I have a feeling this is not the most appropriate place to talk." Galfore, her mother's old k'norfka, mumbled.

"There's a room in the back we can use if you want to talk with us in private." Mar'iand'r replied.

"Will you take us?" Ryand'r, their uncle, asked.

"Of course, follow me." Mar'iand'r nodded.

She turned on her heels and begun walking towards the back. They walked past a few bunk beds and some children playing with each other. The six reached a door with animal hide hung over it. Mar'iand'r pulled it aside, allowing her family to walk in first before she followed suit. She let the hide fall back in place and watched her family settle into the somewhat large room. Mar'iand'r took a seat at the wooden table with her uncle, aunt, and mother while Galfore stood behind Koriand'r and her uncle while her sister sat on her aunt's lap. "You wanted to speak with us, right?" Mar'iand'r asked.

"Please do not hate me." Koriand'r's lower lips trembled.

"Why would I hate you?" She raised an eyebrow.

Koriand'r shook her head. "Please do not hate me for doing this." Koriand'r whispered.

"I don't understand." Mar'i said, turning to her aunt and uncle. "What's going on? Why is my mother acting like this?"

They bit down on their bottom lip. She heard screams along with a few other noises, such as glass shattering or wood smashing. She heard the cries of children and the sound of approaching feet, walking at a quick pace. Mar'iand'r slowly stood up from her chair, staring at the animal hide as it shakes. "What in the world is going on out there?" She asked as the hide was ripped off the door frame.

She looked at her mother and found Koriand'r's head lay on the table, buried in her arms. Her back shook and it became apparent that she was crying silently. Mar'iand'r looked back at the door and noticed a group of scaly, green reptilians with long tails walking inside. "What are the Gordanians doing here?" Mar'iand'r looked at her mother again.

"Take them both." One of the Gordanians ordered the other five.

Mar'iand'r backed up. She fell over her chair as one of the alien reptiles took Sava'nand'r from Komand'r lap while the other placed manacles on her hands and pushed her to walk out of the room. "Take your hands off my sister." Mar'iand'r growled, floating in the air.

She flew towards the lizard-like creature with an uppercut. The Gordanian stumbled and fell to ground unconscious. The other Gordanians began holding her down. She struggled and screamed to be released but they wouldn't budge, they just kept adding more weight. "Please, Mar'i, do not struggle." Koriand'r stood in front of her. "Please try to understand the reason I did this."

"You?" Mar'iand'r's eyes grew wide as the Gordanians managed to put the pair of manacles on her. "You did this?"

One of them forced her to stand up and the others grabbed her by the arms and began to lead her out of the room. Mar'iand'r tried to turn back and break free, but the Gordanians' grip on her arms were too strong. She cursed loudly in her native language at her mother and the rest of her family, hot tears roaming down her face.

* * *

Mar'iand'r was pushed into the Gordanians' spaceship, provided to them by the Citadel, along with her sister. They were surrounded by guards making sure they didn't retaliate or escape. Pipes in the halls hissed as they walked by, hearing the faint sound of machines beeping and whatnot. The doors parted into the walls as they approached and the doors slid behind them once they were all inside. They stood inside the spaceship's control room. The leader of the ship was inside, sitting on a black swivel chair. He stood up from his chair and strode up to them. "Who are they?" He asked.

"They are the kin of Koriand'r of Tamaran." One of the Gordanians replied.

"Her children are dead, she said so herself." The leader pointed out.

"It was part of a scheme to keep us from finding them." The same Gordanian said.

The leader held his head up high as he inspected both girls, Mar'iand'r and Sava'nand'r. "Take the little one to her cell and leave this one with me." The leader replied.

The Gordanians nodded and walked out with the little girl in front of them. Mar'iand'r kept watching until the doors closed. She looked down at the floor. Through the corners of her eyes, she saw the leader of the reptilian aliens kept walking around her in a circle in a predatory manner. He cupped her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him; she shook his hand off and spat in his face. The leader raised a hand as if to slap her. She winced, waiting for him to strike... but he didn't. He lowered his hand down and chuckled. "Just like your mother." He commented.

"Is that a compliment?" Mar'iand'r glared. "Or an insult?"

"I will leave that decision to you." He smirked.

She felt him eying her figure, taking in every detail of her body. Her face flushed, knowing that the coral colored dress she was currently wearing was a bit revealing. The dress was backless and sleeveless with a slit on both sides extending from her hips downward and a plunging neckline that even exposed her midriff and navel **(A/N: A navel is a belly button)**. It was also a bit sheer, but not too sheer.

The doors slid open. "Sir, the girl has been escorted to her cell and is currently under guard." A Gordanian spoke.

"Good, now make sure this one gets changed into these clothes." The leader spoke, handing him a clothes set with shoes and gold jewelry piled on top.

"Yes, sir." The Gordanian nodded, shoving Mar'iand'r in the back.

She growled but obeyed and began to walk.

* * *

She felt uncomfortable in her new clothes. It was something similar to what she would see her mother wear in war. But it wasn't exactly the same.

She was being forced to wear a teal, gold accentuated brassiere that exposed her entire midriff. It fastened over her neck and behind her back with gold straps that formed a "v". Mar'i placed her hands on her hips, turning around to look at every aspect of herself. She wore gold triangular plates, held in place by gold hip fasteners, in her back and front with a long, flowing, dark purple loin cloth underneath. Around her neck, she wore a gold collar with a silver chain attached. And, she also wore a gold snakelike armlet on her left arm and a pair of teal-colored boots with fancy gold outlining. "I don't like these clothes one bit." Mar'i said, adjusting her loin cloth to try and cover up as much skin as possible.

Someone kept banging on the door repeatedly, nonstop. Mar'i rolled her eyes and opened it, the high heels of her boots clicking on the floor as she walked towards the door. It was the Gordanian who escorted her to the changing rooms. "My leader has grown impatient waiting for you." He growled.

"Good, then maybe I should keep him waiting more often." Mar'i glared.

The Gordanian raised a hand at her and struck her clean across the face. Mar'i focused her eyes on the floor. She kept inhaling and exhaling to calm down, feeling a bit shaken by the sudden slap across her face. The Gordanian grabbed the chain connected to her collar and tugged it hard. "My master is already angry; he will do much worse than I if you do not comply." The Gordanian looked at her from the corners of his eyes.

Mar'i stiffened but she moved and walked, picking up the pace each time she felt a tug on her "leash". "Tell me... what will your leader do to me?" Mar'i asked slowly and quietly.

The Gordanian ignored her question and continued walking. "Didn't you hear my question?" Mar'i said. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer right away."

"Your royal status does not matter on this ship, or in the Citadel." The Gordanian replied. "Therefore, you cannot force me to answer nor do I have to give an answer."

Mar'i fell silent. She felt another tug on the chain connected to her collar, causing her to stumble a bit, and walked faster. "Our leader has already made arrangements with the Citadel." The Gordanian stated, clearing his throat.

"What kind of arrangements?" Mar'i raised her head up.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! DUN DUN DUN!  
**

**So I hope y'all liked this chapter because I worked really hard to get all these thoughts out of my head. Anyways, please R&R!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 20 Reviews****(please?)****  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! ****Thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot to me so thanks a lot!  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.  
**

**Enjoy!**

_**~Bereft~**_

* * *

**_~Chapter 2~_**

* * *

It had been a year since her enslavement. She could remember everything that ever happened like it was yesterday. Well, that's because her "family" was the one who sold her and her sister out _a year ago_.

Pent up frustration. Bottled up tears. Happiness was replaced by self-consciousness, shame, and a broken feeling. Then... there was the pain. X'Hal, she hated the pain.

It was too much to bear, but she couldn't do anything about it. They'd beat her to death otherwise. But every night, there were panic attacks. He plagued her mind with nightmares. Her mind kept flashing back to him and all of the things she had experienced and was subjected to... It was all done by _him_.

She couldn't sleep, her mind wouldn't let her, and she too scared to. There was a sense of anxiety every time she'd doze off, only to be awakened by the disturbing thought that he would sneak into her cell and try something on her while she slept. She'd spend her nights awake, she didn't sleep a wink. And, when morning came, she would have to overcome fatigue. That was her "routine". And this morning was like no other.

Her legs felt sore and she felt pain along her thighs and inner thighs. She walked out with her hair tousled and garments disheveled, being escorted down the halls in the ship by four Gordanian guards. Mar'i looked like a mess. And she was a mess after what had happened. Her heart was left racing and fingers were tingling. She breathed in and winced. All of her screams and cries of mixed pain, mostly pain, and pleasure had turned her voice hoarse and a bit raspy. It was hard to talk. Hard to swallow her own saliva. Hard to breathe.

The Gordanians opened a metal door for her and pushed her in. She stumbled, her back hitting the wall, and fell. Mar'i looked around, panting heavily and quite fast. All she saw was a bed and a sink, nothing else. That was all the furniture made up her "room". She looked through the bars and saw no one standing outside. It shocked her, but it also gave her a relief. Usually someone would always be standing outside. It was rare if no one was ever there. And it was rare that she ever had time alone. She couldn't scream. She couldn't cry. She definitely could_ not_ cry; Mar'i was not permitted to. If she cried... then well...

Mar'i stood up; her heart racing faster than it was before. She threw herself on the bed, burying her face in her pillow and screamed as loud as she could. Her eyes stung as hot, salty tears rolled down the sides of her face. She felt her body shiver and shake immensely. Mar'i cursed aloud in Tamaranean at everyone she could think of, calling them names she would never call anyone. She cursed at her mother, her aunt, her uncle, Galfore, and the Gordanians. She felt worried for her sister, wondering what type of horrors she had to endure. But it wasn't until she thought about her that she began to calm down. Her breathing was shallow, but it became steady. Mar'i sniffled and wiped away her remaining tears. "Sava'nand'r," She mumbled, lying on her back.

She looked up and stared up at the ceiling. There was a knock at her door and Mar'i sat up. She stood up from her bed and walked towards the door. Mar'i pulled it open. She saw a Gordanian standing behind it. "What do you want?" Mar'i asked bitterly.

"Your sister has requested your presence." The Gordanian replied.

Mar'i nodded without hesitation and quickly followed the guard.

* * *

It was quiet in the office. There was nothing left for him to do. He had taken care of all his paperwork and he already attended the meeting that took place earlier in the morning. He didn't much, each spin around in his black swivel chair like a child. Well, he was a child at heart anyways. And that made his situation even worse. He ran his hand through his black hair and sighed. Usually girls and women would swoon if he did that in public. They always swooned over every little thing he did. But it was the things his father -pardon, adopted father- did that made the girls and women go _crazy_. He wasn't like his adopted-father, though. Or, at least, that's he had been telling himself over the past few years.

The phone rings and he immediately picks up the landline in his office. He chuckled, realizing it wasn't the landline. It was his cell phone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone **(A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING MADE BY APPLE)**. He saw a missed call and checked the Caller ID. He redialed the number.

It rung twice and stopped. "Dick?"

"Hey, babe, what's up?" He replied, turning in his chair to look out the gigantic window in his office.

* * *

The moment Mar'i stepped foot inside her sister's room, Sava'nand'r attacked Mar'i in a tight death hug. Mar'i closed the door behind her as the poor girl held onto her for dear life. Her skin was tainted with faint bruises and cuts. Mar'i stroked her sister's hair and just held her. She placed a hand on her sister's back and guided her to the bed. They sat down. "I cannot take this anymore." Her sister cried, tears flowing like a river. "I wish to die already."

But she understood what her sister was feeling. And she felt like dying too. So that made her a hypocrite whenever she'd scold her sister for saying something like that.

Mar'i didn't reply to her sister's statement, she just held her until she stopped crying. Sava'nand'r sniffled and wiped at her cheeks and eyes. "I have a plan to get us out of here." Mar'i lowered her voice to a whisper.

Sava'nand'r looked up at her. "What?" She raised an eyebrow.

Mar'i's eyes darted down to her manacles and Sava'nand'r stared at her with wide eyes when she saw them split in half. "How did you-?"

"Acid," Mar'i replied quietly. "Those reptilian idiots never bothered putting away the chemicals in their little lab."

Mar'i placed the manacles together, forcing them to join together tightly. The crack down the middle was hidden well, but it was visible if seen from a close distance. "Mar'i, please do not do this." Sava'nand'r pleaded. "Please, you are the only family I have left."

Mar'i looked at Sava'nand'r with a blank expression. She saw the fear in her sister's eyes and body language. Mar'i blinked and she couldn't get the image of a frightened little girl out of her mind. It was buried in too deep. "I have to; it's for your well-being." Mar'i murmured.

"I do not care about my well-being!" Sava'nand'r stood up from her bed, yelling angrily.

"No, Sava'nand'r, don't yell; they'll-" Mar'i tried hushing her repeatedly, her eyes darting from the door to her sister's face and back and forth.

Sava'nand'r slammed her manacles against the wall, creating a rather large dent. She hit the sink with them and it completely shattered into a million pieces onto the floor. Water had begun spraying from the broke pipe, wetting the floor and flowing out under the door. Mar'i took cover as her sister went into a tantrum, smashing and destroying everything in her way.

The door swung open, breaking off its hinges. A group of Gordanians barged in, one of them bearing a single-tailed whip. The rest of them held Sava'nand'r down while the other unraveled the whip. Mar'i was backed up in a corner. But one of them spotted her through the corner of his eyes. "Get that one out of here and take her to her master; he's been waiting for her for a while." The Gordanian nodded towards Mar'i, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down at Sava'nand'r.

Two other Gordanians got off of Sava'nand'r and nodded. Sava'nand'r struggled to get up the moment they started leaving, but the remaining Gordanians applied more weight on her. The other two Gordanians grabbed Mar'i by the arms, yanking her up on her feet and began pushing her out of the room. Mar'i kept looking over her shoulders but the Gordanians kept blocking her view. But she heard a crack and a scream of pain. Mar'i flinched, thinking of what was happening to her sister: Lashings.

* * *

"I really don't care about the wedding theme." The man, Dick, replied. "If you want a simple wedding, then go for it. All I just care about is getting married."

He held his iPhone to his ear. There was a reply.

"Listen, babe, just get whatever you want." Dick said. "I'll pay for it all; Bruce might even chip in a bit."

_"Are you sure?"_ The woman replied. _"Because I'd really hate to have you pay for something expensive."_

"I was adopted by Bruce Wayne, I'm pretty sure I can afford to buy anything that I couldn't afford when I was lived with my real parents." Dick stated. "Remember that purse I gave you two Christmases ago? It was from a Prada store in New York City."

_"Dick!"_ The woman snapped with a hint of laughter in her voice. _"What the hell! You told me it was from Target, you bastard."_

"Well, I lied." He grinned. "Then there was that necklace I bought you for your birthday, the one with all the 2.5 carat diamonds."

_"God, I really can't even talk to you right now anymore."_ She sighed in exasperation.

He laughed. "Babs, just do whatever you want." Dick stated.

_"Are you sure?"_ The woman, Babs, asked, sounding calm.

"I'm sure." He replied.

_"Alright, but this means I'm gonna have to pay you back whether you like it or not."_ She stated.

"I don't mind." Dick said.

_"I love you."_

"I love you, too."

Babs hung up and Dick put his phone away in his pocket. Dick turned around. "Shit." He cursed when he saw a redheaded, green-eyed man sitting in his chair.

"Aw, how sweet." The man commented, spinning around in the chair rapidly.

Dick grabbed hold of the chair and stopped it. "Wally, what the hell are you doing here?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Can't I visit my best friend without being questioned?" The man, Wally, rolled his eyes.

Dick shook his head. "You're right, I'm sorry." Dick sighed.

"You should be sorry." Wally said.

"Man, you have no idea how stressed I am." He groaned.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

Dick gave him a look. Wally got the message. "I forgot you're getting married to that _redhead_." Wally rolled his eyes.

"That _redhead_ has a name." Dick pointed out. "I brought her to Roy's twenty-first birthday when we took him out to his very first nightclub."

"Oh _yeah_... that was funny." He chuckled. "Roy got his ass handed him to by Donna."

"You got your ass handed to you by a skinny, blond girl." Dick laughed.

"Dude, she kicked me in the balls." Wally stated. "It's not like I got flipped over."

"Actually, you did." He replied.

"Why don't you and Roy ever let me live it down?" He asked.

"Because you got flipped over by your own daughter."

Wally groaned.

* * *

Mar'i looked down at the floor as she and the Gordanians walked the halls slowly in silence. They still had much further to walk. But Mar'i stopped walking. "Move it along." One of them tried yanking her forward.

But she did not move and she didn't budge. "No." She replied.

"I said to move; it was neither a question nor an option." The same Gordanian stated. "It was an order."

"And I said no." Mar'i glared.

"If I give you an order, I expect you to obey like you would obey your master." He growled.

"I don't take orders from anyone, especially idiots like you." Mar'i spat in his face.

The Gordanian raised a hand and slapped her across the face. Her blood was boiling in her veins. Mar'i touched her right cheek and it stung. There were three cuts on her cheek, probably from his claws. She looked at the crimson that painted her fingers, smirking, and chuckled. The Gordanians looked at her strangely. But she knew the question they were thinking. "I don't think your _leader_ will be all that happy if he hears that you laid a hand on me." Mar'i stated. "Just _imagine_ what he'll do when I tell him. And what makes it better is that I have a wound- Pardon, I mean, I have _wounds _to prove it."

They stiffened. Mar'i shook one of the Gordanians' arms off her and slammed the other against the wall with her superhuman strength, instantly knocking him out. Her eyes glowed and easily broke her manacles in half, which were already broken to begin with. The remaining Gordanian stared at her with wide eyes as her hands formed a pair of purple "starbolts". Mar'i flew towards him and gripped him by the neck, holding him up against the wall. "What is the meaning of this?" He spluttered, shocked that she managed to break the handcuffs with ease.

"It's called rebellion." Mar'i growled. "And I am no longer your slave."

The Gordanian nodded. "Yes, Your Highness." He stammered.

"Good, now, tell me, how do I get control of the ship?" Mar'i grinned, holding his face close to hers.

* * *

The door broke off its hinges and fell to the ground by a strong beam of purple light. A flash of purple zoomed in, striking the leader of the Gordanian ship down. He was picked up and hurled around, and released afterwards. The leader's back flew towards a wall, his back colliding with metal. Mar'i was floating in the air, regaining her powers after forcefully extracting information from her escorts -well, escort-. Her completely green, pupil-less eyes glowed brilliantly and purple light formed in her hands. She shot a sphere of purple energy at her former "master", each exploding upon contact. Her "master" dodged each one swiftly. Mar'i flew towards him with her fist and struck him up his jaw. He was knocked out.

Mar'i flew towards the control panel. There so many buttons in different colors, all of them flashing and blinking, and there different levers too. She saw a blinking yellow button and she pressed it. There was a hiss and a creak. Something opened. Mar'i looked at the far left side of the control panel and saw the open hatchway. She picked up her "master", carried him over to the hatchway, and pushed him out of the spaceship. He was the last one on the ship that she knocked out and sent adrift into space.

The hatchway closed up by itself and Mar'i flew back to the control panel. She planted her feet on the floor and immediately went for the bright green, flashing button. A holographic keyboard popped up the moment she hit the button and she began typing coordinates. The keyboard disappeared and a holographic map appeared afterwards. It kept giving Mar'i directions as she steered. But an alert popped up and sirens started blaring as the entire ship begun to shake. The entire room was lit up in flashing red lights. Mar'i turned on the surveillance screens. A bunch of holograms popped up. But her eyes were glued to the one with footage being taken of outside the ship. Lasers were being shot at the spaceship's rear, and they were well-aimed too. But soon enough there was an opening in the back and a large group of hideous, green-skinned; black-eye creatures boarded the ship. They were Psions.

The Psions split up into groups and each group headed in different directions. Mar'i saw one group take the route straight up. They were heading towards the control room. Mar'i bit her lip, hearing their footsteps get closer. She turned on the autopilot and turned around. Her feet hovered a few inches above the ground and her eyes glowed. The Psions made a turn at the corner and Mar'i took that as her cue to begin firing purple "starbolts". Only five Psions got injured, the rest were dodging. One of them tackled her to the ground. She kneed him in the stomach and kicked him off. She watched him fly and crash into another Psion. Mar'i lifted off the ground, spotting the guns in their hands. They began firing different colored lasers at her and she swiftly flew and avoided them. Mar'i flew towards one of the Psions and she tackled him. They collided with the wall, denting it and eventually breaking through it from the force of her tackle. Mar'i dropped the unconscious alien on the ground.

She began building up a gigantic, purple "starbolt" and dodged lasers from the laser blasters all at once. But once the "starbolt" was big enough, Mar'i launched it inside towards the remaining Psions. It exploded and they were all wiped out. Mar'i flew in through the thick cloud of smoke. She picked up the bodies of the Psions and flew towards the control panel. She opened up the hatchway again and sent their bodies floating out into space. But the spaceship shook again as the hatchway began closing. Mar'i deactivated the autopilot and began steering again. She looked at the surveillance screens. The Psions were retreating but their ship was still attacking from the outside. Mar'i heard someone screaming her name but she was too focused on getting out of her current situation. Especially now that she noticed the ship was heading straight for a meteor. Mar'i gripped the yoke and pulled it up, forcing the ship the fly over the space rock. Mar'i got rid most of the surveillance screens, finding them to be a major distraction. She placed her hand over the lever that resembled a joystick in arcades and grasped the top. She looked at the remaining surveillance screen. The Psions' ship was getting close. Mar'i pulled the lever, thrusting it forward, and activated the Hyperdrive.

The spaceship began flying at super-speed. There was a loud explosion, knocking over the Psions' ship, followed by a bright flash of purple. Mar'i and her spaceship were gone. All that was left was a thick cloud of gray smoke.

* * *

An object, followed by a bright green flash, appeared out of nowhere. It zoomed right past a building on an asteroid. It was flying an unstoppable speed, heading towards a blue and green planet.

A man, dressed in a green and black uniform with a strange green symbol on his chest, with a dark green domino mask worn over his eyes flew out of the way as the object nearly came in contact with him. "That can't be good." He commented, tapping on the comm. link in his left ear as he began flying after the object.

* * *

Dick's phone rang. "Is it Barbara?" Wally asked jokingly.

He batted his eyes and pursed his lips. He made kissy-faces, and added in kissing noises, at the dark-haired man. Dick grinned. "Grow up, how old are you anyway?" He laughed. "Four?"

"No, I'm twenty-five and still a kid." He replied.

Dick reached in his right pants pocket and pulled out his iPhone. He answered the call and held the phone to his right ear. "Hello?" Dick said.

_"Dick?"_ A gruff, monotonous voice replied. _"It's Bruce."_

"Bruce?" Dick raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

_"I need you to suit up and get down to Metropolis as soon as you can."_ The voice, belonging to a man named Bruce, explained.

"Why?" He asked. "What happened?"

_"Is the Flash with you?" _Bruce replied.

"Yeah, why?" Dick said.

_"Just meet me in Metropolis, make sure he suits up too." _He stated. _"We need some back up." _

There was a ringtone and Dick sighed. He pressed a red button under the surface of his mahogany desk and one of the walls in his office lifted upwards to reveal an elevator. "What did Bruce want?" Wally asked.

"He wants up to suit up and head down to Metropolis." Dick replied.

"What for?" He said.

Dick shrugged, walking backwards into the elevator as Wally followed.

* * *

Both men narrowed their eyes down to squint. There was a big burst of green light in the distance. "Nightwing, did you see that?" A flash of red asked the man riding on a black motorcycle at full-speed.

The flash of red was actually a man though. He donned a full, red body suit with a yellow lightning bolt on the chest and two small yellow lightning bolts across the waist and wrists, and he also wore yellow boots. He was known as the Flash.

"Yeah, and it didn't look good." The man, Nightwing, replied.

Nightwing wore a black unitard with a blue bird, its wings expanded, emblazoned on the chest and a light gray abdomen. He donned a set consisting of a pair of black shoulder pads, boots and gloves. And, he also wore a black utility belt and a black holster strapped on the side of his right leg.

The ground rumbled and shook. People could be heard screaming. "What the hell was that?" Nightwing said.

"I don't know." The Flash replied.

"Then we better hurry if we wanna find out." He said.

"Race?" Flash asked.

"You're on." Nightwing grinned, revving up his motorcycle.

And they continued speeding off.

* * *

The landing was rough and brutal. She kept smashing and bumping into things. A few objects even landed on top of her, crushing her underneath. But it the shaking and crashing stopped. Mar'i kicked the pile of junk off of her, creating a hole in the top of her spaceship. She stood up, feeling unable to breathe. But she managed. Her breath came out in sharp, shallow puffs of air as she shakily flew out of the hole. Mar'i looked around, observing everything that surrounded her. Buildings, people, cars. She was in a city, but she wasn't sure which city. Gotham City, Star City, Central City, there were so many cities. Mar'i knew all these things unlike her mother when she arrived. After all, she grew up on Earth.

Mar'i felt her stomach drop as she suddenly fell, landing on top of the spaceship. But she slipped and fell off, tumbling and rolling until she landed on her knees. Her gold, M-shaped tiara that framed her face fell off and she still wore her chain and collar. She was still wearing her enslavement outfit.

She kept looking around and she saw the people standing around her. They were staring at her, like they were waiting for her to do something. But, at that moment, she saw a million silhouettes appear on the street. She looked up and saw people dressed in costumes descending from the skies. They all stared at her like the other normally dressed people. Mar'i didn't pay attention to the others, her eyes only focused on the three up front. They were two men and a woman. One of the men wore a blue costume with a red-and-yellow "S" shield on the chest, blue tights under red spandex, a yellow belt, red boots and a red cape. The other man donned a dark gray costume with the symbol of a bat on the chest and black spandex, black gloves with fins on the outer side, boots and a black cape. He also wore also a black cowl designed with bat-like ears and a black utility belt. Then there was the woman. She donned a strapless red bustier held up by a brace of gold, resembling two W's, with a gold lasso hanging from the golden belt around her waist, blue briefs with five white stars on them, and red boots with a white stripe on the front side. The woman was also wearing silver arm plates and a golden diadem with a red star on her forehead.

But anyways, the three of them had moved forward. Two of them floated and the other walked. Mar'i moved off of her knees and backed up, her back hitting the ship. "Get away from me." She growled, forming starbolts in her hands.

Her eyes glowed, but they hidden under her disheveled hair. The one in the bat costume took a slight step forward but retracted his foot when Mar'i fired a starbolt at the spot. "I said to get away!" She growled louder.

The woman walked towards her. "You are injured, just let us-"

But Mar'i shot a blast of purple light at her. The woman dodged the blast. "Don't touch me!" Mar'i screamed.

* * *

Metropolis was filled with members of the Justice League. They were all there for back up, keeping their distance. Well, in case it was needed. But they were acting as a shield for the people around them.

Nightwing and the Flash saw a dark-haired girl, probably in her teen years, nearly blast off Batman's foot with a purple sphere of energy when they arrived. "I said to get away!" The girl growled louder.

Nightwing turned off his motorcycle and got off. There was tension in the air. And lots of it. No one moved. The girl got up, using the spacecraft behind her for support. She pushed herself off it, took a step forward with a stumble, and fell back on her knees.

Wonder Woman walked towards the girl. "You are injured, just let us-"

But the girl shot a blast of purple light at her. Wonder Woman dodged the blast. "Don't touch me!" The girl screamed.

"Hey, she kind of looks like-"

"No, _she_ doesn't." Nightwing immediately cut Wally off before he finished his comment. "They look nothing alike."

"Superman, grab her." Batman stated.

Superman flew towards the girl and grabbed her in his arms tightly. She yelped in pain, choking on her own saliva. "Let me go!" She said, struggling in his grip as he began flying up into the skies.

She shot purple beams from her eyes at Superman's arms. Superman hissed and dropped her. She kept her balance in the air, displaying her ability to fly. But that ability didn't last long and she fell from the sky. It was instinct. Nightwing lunged forward just as she almost collided with the pavement and he caught her in his arms. "He could have injured her wound much more." Wonder Woman spat at Batman.

"We needed a way to get her to come with us." Batman replied, his voice bearing no emotions. "Force was necessary."

Nightwing stood up and set the girl on her feet. She dropped to the floor the moment he stood her up. Her breathing sounded shallow. "She needs to be checked out." Nightwing piped up, kneeling beside her.

"No." She whispered hoarsely, but she was heard loud and clear. "My sister's still in the ship. I heard her scream."

Nightwing looked at the big three. "Green Lantern, Flash, Superman check the ship." Batman stated as Justice League members began to leave.

"What about her?" Nightwing asked, motioning to the girl beside her.

"Wonder Woman will take care of her." Batman replied.

* * *

Mar'i sat on one of the beds in the medical bay. She was in the Watchtower. It was that building she past before she crash-landed in Metropolis. The one built on an asteroid. She was all bandaged up and her breathing was normal. Wonder Woman had walked in the room. She always did to check on her. "I'm sorry for attacking." Mar'i looked down at the powder blue sheets that covered the mattress underneath.

Wonder Woman sat on her bedside. "It's fine." She replied.

It was awkward between them. Nothing was said after Mar'i's apology. It was silent for a good five minutes. But it didn't last long. "What's your name?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Mar'iand'r." Mar'i replied, playing a lock of her own hair. "My family usually calls me Mar'i, though."

"Where is your mother?" She said.

"She's not my mother anymore." She stated.

"Why?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Mother's a traitor." Mar'i played with her skirt, focusing her eyes on a loose thread.

Wonder Woman looked at her outfit, watching Mar'i's fingers pick at an imaginary piece of thread. "Don't you think that outfit is a little inappropriate for a girl your age?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't_ want_ to wear it." She snorted.

"Then why are you wearing it?" Wonder Woman queried.

"I was forced." Mar'i sighed. "They forced me to wear it."

"Why?" She said.

Mar'i stood up from the bed. She walked towards the window and looked out at the darkness. "Access." Mar'i said blankly.

"Access to what?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I don't wear anything under my skirt, I wasn't allowed." She stated randomly.

Wonder Woman stiffened. She cleared her throat. "What does your collar and chain represent?" Wonder Woman said.

"Slavery." Mar'i played with the sheer purple curtains. "They'd pull on my chain to get me to follow. My chain was the leash and I was the dogs, always being pulled around. Always being flaunted..."

Wonder Woman took note of Mar'i's handcuffs when the dark-haired girl spoke. "So, you're a slave?" She asked.

"I _was _a slave." Mar'i corrected her.

"What was punishment when you disobeyed orders?" Wonder Woman said.

"Fifty lashings for a week."

"Did you ever disobey?" She asked.

"No, my punishment was different." Mar'i said. "It was more of a job than a punishment. But it was punishment to me."

"How long were you enslaved for?" Wonder Woman said.

"A year."

The door opened. Nightwing and Batman walked in. "Wait here," Wonder Woman stated.

She stood up from Mar'i's bed and walked towards the four men.

* * *

"What has she told you?" Batman asked.

"Her name is Mar'iand'r." Wonder Woman looked directly at Nightwing.

Nightwing avoided her gaze. Batman looked at Nightwing through the corner of his eyes. "What else?" He said.

"She's traumatized." Wonder Woman replied. "I can tell by the way she talks and the way she acts."

"Traumatized by what?" Batman questioned.

"From what she has told me, her "_master_" had been tormenting her with rape and sexually abuse for nearly over a year." She sighed. "I sense other forms of abuse instilled in her: verbal, emotional, physical. It's all there."

"Punishment?" He said.

"She was his sex slave, forced to give him what he wanted whenever he beckoned... which was all day and night." Wonder Woman replied. "Punishment for any other slave was fifty lashings for a week. Her sister was most likely to suffer that consequence for disobedience since they chose Mar'i over her."

"What about her mother?" Nightwing asked.

"She thinks her mother's a traitor." Wonder Woman replied.

"Why?" He said.

"Mar'i didn't say anything, but I have a feeling it has to do with her enslavement." She sighed.

There was tension in their minute-long silence.

"Did you find her sister?" Wonder Woman asked.

"She wasn't there." Batman replied. "Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern searched every inch of the ship and no one else was in that ship with her. She came here alone. But, it's likely that her sister was missing before she even arrived on Earth."

The two Justice Leaguers looked at Nightwing. He wasn't even paying attention. He was staring at Mar'i. "Dick."

Nightwing stopped staring and looked at Wonder Woman.

"She's from Tamaran."

* * *

"'Wing, what are you doing?" The Flash asked as Nightwing walked past him.

He ignored him and continued walking down the hall. "Wait- where are you going?" Flash asked. "What about Mar'i?"

"What about Mar'iand'r?" Nightwing rolled his eyes.

"Where is she gonna live?" He said as they began approaching the training room.

"Not with me, that's for sure." He replied.

"Dude, that's messed up." Flash commented. "You're just gonna leave her here?"

"Well she can't live with me." Nightwing stated.

"Why not?" Flash asked.

"... It's complicated." He sighed in frustration.

Nightwing walked into a strange-looking machine that resembled a tunnel, called a Zeta-Tube. Automatically, a light from the Zeta-Tube shone in back of him. The light grew brighter, replacing his body with his silhouette. The light faded. Nightwing was gone.

* * *

**CHAPTER COMPLETED! YAY *throws confetti*! I hoped you guys liked this chapter. I had a little bit of writer's block to work through but I managed. So, I feel really proud of myself. Anyways, please R&R! **

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 30 Reviews (please?)  
**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! ****Thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot to me so thanks a lot!  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.  
**

**Enjoy!**

_**~Bereft~**_

* * *

**_~Chapter 3~_**

* * *

Mar'i stared down at the mattress. She kept avoiding their gazes. They had to be lying. She didn't need any sympathy from a group of liars. "I'm sorry," Superman stated.

Mar'i kept blinking back the tears forming in her eyes, but one tear managed to escape. She couldn't let them see her cry. Not now. Not ever. "Sorry for what?" Mar'i asked

"You're sister," He said.

"My sister's fine, there's nothing to be sorry about." She scoffed. "Just tell me where she is."

"Mar'i, she's gone." Wonder Woman sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Mar'i snapped, quickly shrugging Wonder Woman's hand off of her. "My sister's fine, she was in the ship with me when I landed. I know it."

"She wasn't in there when Flash, Green Lantern and I checked the place." Superman said softly.

Mar'i glared at the mattress. Were they serious? Were they seriously still playing their little game of lies? "You're lying," Mar'i shook her head. "Just cut the crap and tell me where she is."

"Mar'i, we don't know." Batman said monotonously.

"You're lying." Mar'i said shakily. "This is all just a sick joke... right?"

There was a moment of silence as the Big Three looked at one another and turned their attention back on Mar'i. She was breathing shakily. She kept shaking her head with a grin on her face. "I don't believe this." Mar'i chuckled. "What the hell is this? She was in that spaceship. Are you trying to tell me that she disappeared into thin air or something?"

There was a silence. "What makes you so sure?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Excuse me?" Mar'i raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you so sure that she was in that spaceship with you?" She asked again.

"She asked for me, I talked to her about my plans to escape..." Mar'i stated.

She was silent as images and sounds replayed in her mind. She remembered a scream. Each time her mind replayed the scream, it sounded clearer. It was high-pitched and feminine. It was bloodcurdling. It was a scream of fear. "Oh crap," Mar'i choked back a sob, shaking her head. "I heard her scream... And I ignored her."

Her heart felt heavy and her bottom lip quivered. And she broke down. Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks, falling off the sides of her chin. They fell onto the sheets that covered the mattress, leaving tiny, little wet spots. She didn't cry for long though. About ten seconds of crying and Mar'i started to wipe away her tears and dry up her eyes. She sighed shakily. She sat up straight on the bed.

Batman and Superman looked away as she stood up. Mar'i looked down at her loincloth, noticing how much of the fabric had shifted when she sat and stood up. So, she began to quickly adjust the front while Wonder Woman took care of the back. Mar'i flew towards the door after Wonder Woman finished fixing the back of her loincloth. "Where are you going?" Superman asked.

"I'm just gonna go take a step outside for a moment." Mari' replied without even looking over her shoulder.

And she flew out the door.

* * *

**_Meanwhile..._**

* * *

"I just can't have her around Babs." He sighed.

The elevator stopped and dinged. The doors slid open, parting into the walls. Dick walked out. Wally kept following after him. They were on the thirteenth floor, walking through the halls and turning at corners.

"She's your daughter." Wally retorted. "If it were Iris or Jai, I wouldn't turn them away."

"Babs thinks Mar'i's still on Tamaran, and I'd like to keep it that way." Dick stated as they stopped in front of Room #132.

He dug into one of his pockets and pulled out a key ring with multiple types of sizes in various sizes hooked onto it.

"Barbara is gonna find out eventually." He said as Dick used one of the keys to unlock the door.

Dick turned the doorknob and opened the door. He walked into the apartment with Wally still following.

"Babs and Kory weren't exactly friends back then, and they definitely aren't exactly friends now." He replied. "I'd hate to think what Barbara would do if she found out that another girl was staying in my apartment. And I'd _really _hate to think what she would do if she found out that girl was actually Kory's daughter."

"So she becomes Kory's daughter now, huh?" Wally said.

"Kory has full custody." Dick stated.

"She's your kid too." He argued. "So are you just gonna let her live in the Watchtower?"

"I don't know, Wally." He sighed.

Wally looked at him in disbelief. "I can't- I don't even see the point in trying anymore." Wally stated.

He turned around and began walking out of the apartment. He stopped walking once he was out the door with his hand on the doorknob. Wally looked over his shoulder. "You know what, Dick?" Wally said. "You're a _really_ good _dad_."

And the door slammed shut.

* * *

She the sky was dark, making it easier for her to fly high without being detected. She didn't know what she was looking for but she just wanted to get out of that "prison". It wasn't like the Gordanians' spaceship, but there was something about the Watchtower that reminded her of it. She just couldn't stand being in there any longer. She was always being questioned, always being watched by hidden cameras. Mar'i couldn't take it anymore.

Mar'i sighed. She felt dizzy and her head was pounding madly with a sickening feeling in her stomach. She couldn't stop sweating. So, Mar'i started flying closer to the ground. And, finally, she landed. Mar'i hid in an alley behind a rusty, old dumpster. The whole place kept spinning around and Mar'i was sure she'd go cross-eyed any moment. She was suddenly struck with fatigue. "What's going on?" She murmured, leaning against the dumpster for support.

She saw a pair of blurry white spots in front of her. Mar'i ignored them though, she kept focusing on herself. "What-?" Mar'i felt her lips tingling when she spoke as she pushed herself off the dumpster.

Her breath kept coming in short and she stumbled as the white spots kept moving towards her.

"Get away from me." Mar'i whispered.

She raised a hand, a purple star bolts shining from it. Mar'i prepared to fire but her dizziness increased and she felt her fatigue take over. "Help," Mar'i whispered hoarsely to the white spots

Mar'i dropped to the floor. Everything turned blurry. And everything just went black.

* * *

**_Hours Later..._**

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open.

She could see clearly. Everything wasn't so blurry anymore. She stared up at the ceiling. A few seconds passed and Mar'i sighed. She sat up and got up from the bed. _Bed? _Mar'i thought. She looked around. She was in someone's bedroom. It sent a shiver up her spine, just thinking that someone brought her to their home and put her in their bed. She was panicking on the inside out. Mar'i couldn't help but wonder what happened after she fell unconscious. And it freaked her out even more.

Mar'i adjusted her clothes and she began walking across the bare, wooden floor towards the door. The "door" wasn't exactly a door. It was just old, torn purple fabric draped over the door frame. But Mar'i pulled it aside gently and walked out. The other rooms were even worse. They were more run-down then the bedroom.

The living room didn't have a lot of furniture. It had an old television set **(A/N: Think of the TVs people had in the 1980's) **sitting on top of a long, cluttered, wooden desk with shelves and cabinets built underneath. Three wall-shelves hung over the desk, the middle shelf ready to fall of. The couch was old, ripped, and covered in dust. There were items from the shelves under the desk poured out and scattered all around the floor. Then there was the rug. It was stained and dusty. Then there was the lamp with a flickering light bulb.

The kitchenette was a mess too. Some of the tiles were missing and the walls were filthy. The ceiling above had a large stain on it too. The oven was rusty. The counters along the kitchen were cluttered with dirty dishes and cooking materials. At least two of the cabinets hanging above had doors hanging off of the hinges. One cabinet, with absolutely no door, had a broken top shelf so there were some items that had fallen onto the bottom shelf and below onto either the floor or counter. But the table, stools, and fridge were all fine.

"What the hell?" Mar'i murmured, walking around the living room.

She stopped near a bookshelf. It was covered with cobwebs. Mar'i ran a finger on it. And it was covered with dust too. Just like the couch and rug.

Mar'i heard something shatter and jumped. She quickly flew back into the bedroom and lay back down on the bed. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. "Shit," Her ears heard someone curse as they walked into the room.

She heard footsteps walk across the floor. But they go anywhere near her. She relaxed a bit. "I know you're awake."

Mar'i sighed and opened her eyes. She sat up. Mar'i saw something shiny on the table at the other side of the "bed". She crawled over to it and grabbed it. It was a pistol. Mar'i quickly stood up from the bed and aimed it at the person, her hands shaking. "Hands up," Mar'i stated. "I wanna see your hands."

The person was a boy. And, Mar'i admitted, he was handsome. Even a bit gorgeous. He was perfectly pale and his skin was flawless. His body was lean with a somewhat visibly chiseled chest. The boy had black hair and beautiful blue eyes. And, he was taller than her by a head.

He was wearing an old pair of slightly torn jeans and an old maroon zip-up hoodie over a wrinkled white shirt with a pair of dirty, worn out white sneakers. The boy had to have been at least a year, or two, older than Mar'i. But, anyways, the boy stood on the other side of the bed with his hands up. "Who the hell are you?" She asked.

"Damian," The boy replied.

"Why am I here?" Mar'i said.

"I brought you here." The person, Damian, stated. "I saw you in the alley when you before you fainted. You were about to attack me. You must be that alien-girl I saw in the papers today. The one who crash-landed in Metropolis."

_So I landed in Superman's city_, Mar'i thought. "If you did anything to me while I was unconscious-"

"I didn't do anything." Damian said.

"Bullshit!" Mar'i yelled, firing a bullet at the wall.

"I swear; I didn't do anything." He said, slowly opening a drawer.

"Liar!" Mar'i stated. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Mar'i fired another bullet, nearly shooting his hand off. But Damian quickly reached a hand in and pulled out something. He pointed it at Mar'i. It was another pistol. "I said I didn't do anything, and I wouldn't do anything like that." Damian grinded his teeth together.

But Mar'i didn't listen. She shot a third bullet and Damian hit the ground, taking cover behind the bed. Mar'i heard a hiss and Mar'i quickly walked around to the other side. Damian was lying on the floor, clutching his shoulder in pain. "Are you OK?" She asked, still pointing the gun at Damian.

Damian didn't reply. Instead he kicked the gun out of Mar'i hand and swept his leg under her feet, knocking her down. The gun slid across the floor towards the wall. Damian pinned Mar'i down beneath him the moment she went after the gun. Mar'i stiffened. Their position was all too familiar to her. She froze, feeling something close to what she felt when she was with her former "master". Fear.

Damian still had Mar'i pinned down when she snapped out of her thoughts, ridding her mind of her sudden flashback. "GET OFF OF ME!" She snapped loudly, immediately kneeing him in the crotch.

Damian rolled off of her, hissing. She got up and running towards the gun. She slipped in the process and continued to slide over on her side. Mar'i grabbed the gun and stood back up. She aimed it at Damian and shot six bullets. Damian rolled and dodged each one. He got up and ran towards her just as she pulled the trigger again. Damian slid under her legs and stood up behind her. He kicked the back of her legs hard and Mar'i cried out in pain. She dropped the gun and Damian took her right hand and placed it between her shoulders, pulling her head back by the hair. "How about you calm down and take my word for it?" Damian growled in her ear. "I didn't _do_ _anything_ to you."

Mar'i panted heavily. She didn't want to think of what he'd do if she didn't obey. So she nodded. Damian let her go. Her skirt shifted as she fell on her side. Her hair was disheveled and so were the rest of her clothes. She stayed on the floor for a few minutes, as she and Damian finished catching their breaths. Mar'i stood up. She smoothed out her hair and fixed her loincloth and brassiere. "Where are we?" She asked, walking back towards the bed.

"Crime Alley, we're not too far from the slums," Damian replied, following after her.

He leaned against the wall with is hands in his pocket. "So where exactly am I?" Mar'i said, crossing her legs.

She held her loincloth as she moved her long, slender legs. Damian cleared his throat. "You're in Gotham City," He stated.

Damian dug into one of his pockets and pulled out a ring. "Here," Damian said. "Catch."

Mar'i caught it easily in her hand. "What's this?" She asked.

"It's a hologram ring." He stated. "It'll provide you with a guise if you have to, need to, or want to go out. You can take it off while you're here."

"What kind of disguise?" Mar'i asked as she slipped it onto her right ring finger.

But she didn't feel any different afterwards. She looked at her hands. She didn't look any different either. "I still look the same." Mar'i stated.

"Go look in the mirror." Damian replied, pointing towards a broken mirror near the dresser by the door.

Mar'i walked over. She looked at herself. Her skin was the same, her hair was the same, but her eyes were different. Her eyes had a white sclera, she had pupils, and her irises were an emerald color. "What about my clothes?" Mar'i asked, turning around to look at Damian.

"What about your clothes?" He raised an eyebrow as Mar'i took her ring off and set it down on the night table.

"I can't go out with these clothes." She rolled her eyes. "They'll be a dead giveaway. And how I am gonna get this collar and these cuffs off of me?"

Mar'i pulled on the chain that was attached to the gold collar around her neck and motioned to the manacles the covered her arms and wrists. Damian walked over, taking one of her cuffed arms into his hands. He turned it around and over, inspecting every inch. "I think I have something for the collar." Damian walked out of the room.

Mar'i heard a door open, a metallic object fall, and Damian cursing. Damian walked back into the room with a face mask and a blowtorch. He lowered the face mask down over his face and turned on the torch. "Don't move or else I'll burn your skin off," He stated.

Mar'i didn't do anything she moved her hair out of the way as Damian got to work on her collar. She felt the heat radiating from the blowtorch underneath her chin. "What temperature is that thing set to?" Mar'i asked.

"Around two-thousand degrees Fahrenheit," He replied.

A few minutes passed and Damian turned off the blowtorch. There was a loud "clang", and the collar had fallen onto the floor. Mar'i's neck immediately rubbed at her neck. "Thank you," She said.

Damian nodded. "So how did you rip those apart?" Damian motioned to the bridge that should've been connected Mar'i's handcuffs.

"I used acid." Mar'i replied.

"What kind of acid?" He asked.

"I don't know; it was blue and bubbly." Mar'i shrugged.

"We'll try melting them too." Damian said as he flipped the mask back over his face. "It looks like metal, so maybe it'll be easy to melt."

He turned the blowtorch back on and started working on the manacles. He slowly started making a clean, straight line down on the front and back on both arms. Mar'i felt them loosening and, eventually the fell open. Both sides ended up falling onto the floors. Mar'i rubbed at her arms and wrists, finally being able to move them without the weight off metal covering them. "I'm looking for Dick Grayson... do you know him?" Mar'i asked.

"I know Grayson, he works for my father." Damian nodded.

"Who's your father?" She said.

"Bruce Wayne," He replied.

"Do you know where he lives?" Mar'i asked.

"He lives in Blüdhaven, it's not far." Damian stated. "It's only thirty minutes down south of Gotham. He lives in a complex apartment."

"So about my clothes?" She said.

* * *

She stopped in front of Apartment #132. She knocked on the door. There were footsteps on the other side. She heard them approaching the door. Something shifted and the door opened. "How did you know where I lived?" Dick asked.

"I pulled a few strings." Mar'i replied.

"Just like your grandfather." He shook his head as Mar'i walked in.

She heard Dick close the door. He walked towards her. "Take a seat," He said.

Mar'i nodded and sat down in an armchair. She crossed her legs. "I don't understand why you did that." She stated.

"Do what?" Dick asked.

"Leave me there in the Watchtower." Mar'i replied.

"I had to get home." He shrugged it off.

"Don't pretend it's not a problem." Mar'i said. "Why couldn't you take me with you?"

"It's complicated." Dick stated.

"Oh yeah?" Mar'i raised an eyebrow. "Try explaining it to me."

"I don't have to explain anything to you." He said.

"Are you seriously pulling that crap on me?" Mar'i scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe you."

"Where did you learn to swear?" Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Don't change the subject." She replied. "I'm your daughter, and you just leave me on some building on an asteroid. Are you kidding me? That's totally messed up."

"Look, Mar'i, it really is complicated right here." He sighed.

"Why?" Mar'i asked.

"You just can't be here right now." Dick stated, getting a wallet out of his pocket.

He drew out a wad of cash and placed it in Mar'i's hands. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her up out of her seat. "What-?" Mar'i asked

"Just take this and use it to buy yourself clothes." He interrupted Mar'i's question.

There was a knock on the door. _Shit, Barbara,_ Dick groaned mentally. "Dick?"

Mar'i heard a high-pitched, feminine voice call out her father's name. "_Oh_ OK," Mar'i smirked. "I get it now, that's why I can't be here. But you know what? That's cool. You're single now and all the girls and women all think that your daughter's living with her mother."

Mar'i walked towards a window.

"Well, fuck you, _Dick_." Mar'i stated, flying out the open window.

* * *

Mar'i flew through a broken window on Damian's floor and landed in front of his "apartment". His apartment building was completely abandoned, except for a least ten people who lived on random floors and in random rooms. She knocked on his door. There wasn't any reply. Mar'i turned the knob. He had left the door unlocked. He probably forgot to even lock it. So, Mar'i just walked in. "How was the meeting with Grayson?" Damian asked, writing something down in a dark red book.

"Terrible," Mar'i sighed, falling onto the couch. "He doesn't want me around, so I'm stuck here."

"Grayson hardly wants anybody around him." He stated. "He's always been the solo type of guy ever since the fallout he had with the Batman."

"But he works for the Batman." Mar'i said.

"Doesn't they're on good terms." Damian pointed out. "Wayne needs someone to be the heir to his fortune, business, and the Bat-uniform. Drake is with Brown in Violet City. Todd is... God knows where he is. "

"Jason Todd?" Mar'i asked.

"No, I'm talking about Wilhelmina Todd." Damian said. "You know, the lady who lives in El Paso with her little girl? She's twenty-five and divorced?"

"I really don't need any sarcasm right now, you creepy stalker." She groaned, lying on her side. "So what about the others?"

"Kane isn't related to Wayne and she isn't even adopted, so she's not even in the will." He replied. "The younger Kane isn't related or adopted either. Bertinelli works for Gordon. Cain's working as Batman Inc.'s representative in Hong Kong."

"So what about you and Barbara Gordon?" Mar'i asked.

"Gordon's with Grayson." Damian replied.

"What do you mean Barbara's with Dick?" She raised an eyebrow.

"They're together." He shrugged.

Mar'i still didn't understand but she didn't ask about it anymore. "Anyway, so what about you?" Mar'i asked.

"I'm the only one who's not adopted." Damian replied

"You're the real thing?" Mar'i raised eyebrow. "You're _actually_ Bruce _Wayne's_ son?"

Damian nodded.

"So, are you in the will?" She asked.

"No," He said.

"Why?" Mar'i said. "You're his son."

"He doesn't trust me." Damian sighed.

Mar'i didn't want to ask anymore questions, feeling that he would get angry or annoyed at her. There was a silence. Mar'i didn't hear anything except Damian writing in his book. "So what do you think is Dick's deal?" Mar'i broke the silence after twenty minutes passed.

"I don't know." He replied. "Something's always bugging Grayson. It's always either Drake or Todd, mostly Todd."

"So when you said Bruce doesn't trust you, what do you mean?" Mar'i asked. "You're his son."

"He doesn't believe I am who I say I am." Damian stated.

"Why?" She said. "If he did a paternity test, it would be positive. You have his DNA."

"Well... when you think about how a normal baby is born, I wasn't born naturally." He explained. "Sure, I have his DNA in my blood. But it's not that fact that makes him suspicious, it's how I was born that gets him."

"So how were you born?" Mar'i asked. "I mean, if Bruce and your mother didn't engage in... well... you know."

"I was genetically perfected and grown in an artificial womb." Damian replied.

"That's why he doesn't trust you?" She raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't believe the way you were brought up?"

"Yep, so my father doesn't want anything to do with me either... until I find a way to confirm my identity." Damian nodded, setting down his pen.

He closed his book and tucked it into the bookshelf. "So, let's talk sleeping arrangements." He stated. "I don't have a spare bedroom, so time to compromise."

Mar'i nodded, adjusting her loincloth. "Right, so I call the bedroom." She said.

"It's my apartment and I'm letting you live here, so don't you think it's fair that I get the bedroom?" Damian said.

"I'm a girl and I deserve my privacy, so I should get the bedroom." Mar'i said "sweetly". "Plus, when have you ever seen a girl sleeping on the couch? And, I'm pretty sure it's usually the guy who sleeps on the couch."

"That's sexist." He stated.

"Listen, I already called the bedroom." She replied. "So, deal with it."

"It's my bedroom." Damian said. "I'm letting you live in my apartment, and I didn't have to let you live with me."

They kept arguing, talking and yelling over one another. But the fight lasted for thirty minutes. And then, they finally stopped arguing. "OK, look, we just need to decide who's sleeping where." Mar'i sighed. "So... let's flip a coin. Heads; we decide who sleeps where. Tails; we're not gonna decide or argue and we'll just share the bedroom."

Damian checked his pockets and pulled out a quarter. He placed it on his thumb and flicked it up into the air. Damian caught the coin and closed his hand. He placed the quarter on top of his other hand. He removed his hand and they saw the coin. "Tails," Mar'i groaned as Damian walked out of the living room.

He walked back in and threw a set of clothes at her.

"Bastard," Mar'i said as the clothes hit her shoulder.

"You can change in the bathroom." He stated. "It's the door across from the bedroom."

Mar'i nodded and she got up from the couch, adjusting her loincloth again.

* * *

Mar'i had walked back out of the bathroom barefoot. The clothes she wore were a bit big on her. She was in a pair of old, dark red, plaid pants and matching button-up long-sleeve shirt. But at least they were comfy.

She walked towards the bedroom and, pulling the fabric aside, walked in. Damian was already in the bed under the blankets. The candle on her side of the bed was still lit. The one on Damian's side was already blown out.

Mar'i kept walking over to the bed. She sat down and blew out her candle. She got under the blankets, sliding in next to Damian. He had his back to her and she turned her back to him.

Mar'i couldn't help but find it familiar; being in bed with a male. But this situation was different. She had nowhere to sleep. And it wasn't like he'd be forcing her to do things for, or with, him. Or, at least, that's what Damian said. She only took his word because she didn't want to find out what he'd do to her if she retaliated against his hold.

But then again, she couldn't really trust anyone or what anyone says. She couldn't really trust Damian either. Supposedly, he just brought her to his apartment and he didn't do anything else afterwards. She was unconscious when he brought her there and she really couldn't prove what he said. For all Mar'i knew, he really could've done something to her while she was knocked out.

It was making her paranoid, so Mar'i pushed those thoughts all way into the back of her mind. Now, if only Dick could see her now: Sleeping with a boy.

* * *

**So did y'all like it? Dislike it? Love it? Hate it? I wanna know! So please R&R!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 35-40 reviews (please?) **


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! ****Thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot to me so thanks a lot!  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.  
**

**Enjoy!**

_**~Bereft~**_

* * *

**_~Chapter 4~_**

* * *

She woke up in a familiar garden with exotic flowers and fruits. She felt the lush, green grass caress her face and body as a gently breeze blows her way. She sat up. There was a strange atmosphere all around her and she felt a bad feeling settle right in her gut.

Mar'i stood up from her bed of green. She heard the faint laughter and giggles of children not too far from her location, so she began walking. She stopped atop of a hill. Mar'i looked down and she saw two children, a boy and a girl, playing together in a field of flowers. "Come play with us!" The boy yelled.

"Please play with us!" The girl begged Mar'i as the boy motioned for her to come over.

Mar'i nodded and flew down to the field. She landed on the ground, only to find that the children had disappeared. But, by the sound of their playful laughter, they had gone into hiding. Mar'i smiled and searched the entire area for both of them: The redheaded boy with golden tan skin and blue eyes and the redheaded girl with golden tan skin and completely green eyes.

As Mar'i searched through the field, she heard a rustle behind her. She turned around and she came to face a weeping willow. Mar'i walked towards it, hearing the rustling noise grow louder. But as she walked closer, the sky darkened. She looked up. The sky had completely turned gray. It was overcast.

She felt a drop on her forehead, following by a second and a third drop. She saw a flash of lightning and she heard a clap of thunder. Before Mar'i knew it, drops of water started falling heavily from the sky. Despite the heavy rain, Mar'i continued walking towards the tree.

But there was something odd about the field now. Everything had quickly turned from a bright green to a dull brown. "Guys, where are you?" Mar'i asked as she walked towards the tree.

She walked around it. There was no one there. So she turned around to continue looking. Only... that the boy and girl were both standing behind her. Their skin and muscle started to slough off as they moved jerkily and uneasily. Soon their skin had fallen off completely and they were nothing but skeletons with eyes. Mar'i noted that their bones were splintered and broken. One of the skeletons held their arms at awkward, twisted angles or dragged one of their legs. And the other couldn't use its legs at all so it clawed its way across the ground instead. She found herself corned as they walked towards her. "Get away from me." Mar'i said, walking backwards.

"I was sick and you did nothing to help me." One of the skeletons hissed.

"Get away," Mar'i blinked back tears, continuing to walk back.

"I screamed and screamed, but you still didn't help me." The other skeleton, the one with green eyes, hissed.

"Get away from me!" Mar'i yelled.

But the skeletons got closer. "You let me die!" The first yelled.

"You ignored me!" The second skeleton bawled.

"I was your brother!" The first one screamed.

"I was your sister!" The second one wailed.

"Leave me alone." Mar'i shook her head, falling over a tree root.

She immediately stood back up though. Mar'i started running away from them. They were both going after her, taking different paths as if to cut her off. But Mar'i sprinted off at a quicker speed, tripping over her own feet and rolling down into a patch of wilting dahlias. They were the only flowers wilting. And Mar'i found that weird. But her mind didn't linger on them much longer. She got up, frightened when she saw the skeletons right behind her. Mar'i fell backwards in shock. They looked worst than when she saw them the first time.

Rotting flesh still clung to some of their splintered bones and their eyes were filled with malice. They came staggering towards her. Limping and jerking, trying to walk on their ruined limbs.

Fear was taking over. Mar'i flew up into the air and hit the skeletons with a few of her starbolts. They stumbled slightly, grunting. Then they kept coming towards her. One of them had latched their hand on her ankles and dragged her down. Despite being nothing but bones, they still had strength and their strength was enough to bring her down to the ground with a loud "bang".

Mar'i immediately crouched up in a ball, shaking with fear. The mangled skeletons were already upon her. They were stretching out their cracked and twisted limbs to grab her. One of them picked her up by the arms, wailed in her face like a banshee, and...

* * *

Mar'i woke up in heavy pants. Her eyes were wide and her forehead felt sweating. "Good God," Mar'i sighed quietly. "It was just a dream."

Mar'i looked around, finding she that she had no idea where she was. She looked around and saw a boy sleeping next to her. Damian. Mar'i quickly remembered that she was in Damian's apartment. But Mar'i still looked around and found a digital clock on Damian's night table.

5:50 A.M.

That was the current time. Mar'i sighed again and laid her head back on her pillow again. But something felt strange. Mar'i felt something wrapped around her small waist. And she felt her legs intertwined with someone else's legs. She didn't mind though as she closed her eyes slowly and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Damian sighed softly in his sleep, inhaling the scent of vanilla and sweet peppermint through his nose. His body felt heat radiating from the figure in his arms. The apartment was always cold due to the fact that the heat radiator had to be fixed. But Damian craved for warmth. He hugged the figure in his arms closer to his body. As a result, the figure in his arms snuggled closer to him.

Damian softly breathed in the sweet, minty scent once more. He slowly began to open his eyes. Everything seemed blurry. But he blinked and the blur cleared up a bit. Once. Twice. Three times **(A/N: a lady!)**. The blurriness faded. Damian could see clearly now. And he could clearly see the pin-straight black hair in front of his face. "Shit," Damian cursed under his breath as the Mar'i stirred.

Mar'i woke up after a few seconds after Damian did. She still felt something wrapped around her waist, so she got curious. Mar'i took a peek under the covers. She saw an arm around her waist. But it wasn't her arm. "Crap!" Mar'i let out a small scream as she quickly removed the arm off of her.

But she ended up falling off of the mattress right after and landed on her back. Damian was already out of bed the moment she screamed. "What the _hell_ was _your_ arm doing around _me_?" She snapped.

"I don't know, I'm wondering how _your_ legs got tangled up with _mine_." He retorted as he helped her up.

Mar'i rolled her eyes. "Just keep _your_ hands to yourself, pervert." She spat.

"Then stay on your side of the bed next time!" Damian retorted.

"Well, I _would've_ stayed on _my _side but this stupid mattress isn't big enough for the two of us." Mar'i glared.

"This is why I said one of us had to sleep on the couch." He stated. "But, _no_, you wanted to flip a coin instead."

"Well, I _certainly _wasn't gonna sleep on a couch." Mar'i put her hands on her hips. "And I definitely didn't want to spend all night fighting."

"You could've slept on the floor!" He exclaimed.

"Ew, gross!" Mar'i scoffed, scrunching her nose up in disgust. "Have even you washed that floor?"

"Then sleep on the couch!" He retorted.

"How about you sleep on the couch then?" She asked.

"It's my apartment; I'm not sleeping on that dingy thing!" Damian said.

"Well, neither am I!" Mar'i said.

"Well, neither am I!"

"Well, neither am I!"

"Well, neither am I!"

"This is so stupid and pointless!" Mar'i sighed in frustration. "We're not getting anywhere with this."

"What are you talking about?" Damian asked. "You started all this because you didn't want to sleep on a fucking couch!"

"Because you were being greedy and you wouldn't let me have the bedroom!" She stated.

"I already told you, I'm letting you live in my apartment." He said. "That should be enough for you. I didn't have to let you stay."

"Oh _wow,_ Damian, some _manners_ you have." Mar'i rolled her eyes. "I'm _really_ feeling the _hospitality_."

Damian didn't reply. Instead, he just took a quick glance at his clock. "Shit," He cursed aloud. "I'm gonna be late."

"Late?" Mar'i asked. "Late for what?"

Damian walked over to his dress and got out a set of clothes. "School," Damian replied.

"School?" She raised an eyebrow.

"College," Damian explained. "You're nineteen; you go to college."

"Well, I'm not nineteen and I don't go to college." Mar'i stated. "I'm sixteen and I don't go to high school either."

Mar'i got up from the bed the moment Damian started to remove his shirt. She walked towards the door and got out of the room. "So now what?" She asked. "Am I supposed to just wait here for you to come back?"

"Exactly," Damian replied, walking out of the room in new clothes.

He wore an old pair of slightly torn black jeans with an old dark blue zip-up hoodie over a wrinkled white t-shirt and a brand new pair of black sneakers. "Where did you get those sneakers?" Mar'i asked. "They weren't there yesterday."

"I stole them when you went to go see Grayson." He replied.

"Stole?" Mar'i raised an eyebrow. "As in you went into some store, took a pair of sneakers, and walked right out the door with them?"

"Yup," Damian nodded.

"Are you crazy?" She asked. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"When you're living in these conditions with no cash on you, you steal to live." He explained. "It's how everyone in this part of Gotham survive, they steal to get what they can't afford. It's like a game. You steal from one person and then they steal from you."

Mar'i fell silent. The more she thought about it, the more it kind of made sense. But then she remembered something. Her eyes widened. Dick gave her money yesterday! "I have money." She stated.

"What?" Damian asked.

"I have money." She grinned.

"How?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Dick gave me it." Mar'i replied as rushed to find the clothes she wore during her enslavement.

She ran back into Damian's room and found her clothes in a corner. Mar'i kept searching through her neatly folded clothes and found the wad of cash between her loincloth and brassiere. She ran back out and handed it to Damian. "How much did he give you?" Damian asked.

"I don't know but it feels like a lot." She panted.

"Alright just put this away where nobody will find it." He said.

"Not even you?" Mar'i asked.

"Not even me," Damian replied.

Mar'i nodded and took the money back from Damian.

"You can explore the building, but make sure no one sees you come out of my apartment." He stated.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because then they'll start getting ideas." Damian replied.

"What do you...?" Mar'i trailed off.

Mar'i thought over it. But it didn't take her long to realize what Damian was saying. She shook her head and grinned. "You mean they'll think...?" Mar'i trailed off again.

Damian nodded and Mar'i laughed.

"Oh that's rich," She laughed. "Why would they think that?"

"I'm Bruce Wayne's son." He replied. "Ever heard like father like son?"

Mar'i nodded. "OK, _now_ I get it." She stated.

"Good, someone will be over soon around five to take you shopping." Damian said. "Well, actually, three someones."

"Who?" Mar'i asked.

"Do you remember Lian Harper, Iris West, or Tula?" He asked.

"I think I remember Iris." She replied with a bit of uncertainty. "She's Wally West's aunt... right?"

"She's his daughter." Damian stated.

"His aunt's his daughter?" Mar'i gave him a look. "That's a little messed up, but OK"

"No," He sighed. "Iris is West's _daughter_, but she's _named_ after his_ aunt_."

"OK, _now_ that makes much more sense." She slowly nodded. "So who are the other two?"

"Lian is Harper's kid and Tula belongs to Garth." Damian replied.

"Harper?" Mar'i asked. "As in _Roy_ Harper?"

"That's the one," He nodded, walking through the living room.

He walked towards the door and opened it.

"One of them is bringing clothes for you to wear so you can go buy yourself some clothes and other things at the mall." He stated, walking out the door.

Mar'i nodded as she walked towards the door and closed it behind him.

* * *

_**Meanwhile...**_

* * *

_"...**Pretending** to be. She never **really **seems to settle down until we're both home, Dick."_

He glanced up from his papers. This was the fifth time he had heard that voice today, and it was driving him nuts. Dick looked around his office. Once again, no one was there. It was just him. "I'm losing my mind." He shook his head.

Dick picked up his pen and started getting back to work. He didn't have much to do. He was practically done with his work. All he had left were probably three or four more sheets of paper left. And he was a fast writer, so he was pretty quick with getting paperwork done.

_"Are you okay, Daddy? Is Mommy okay?"_

Dick stopped writing. And this was the tenth time he heard _that _voice today. He groaned, knowing that no one would be there. The voices he kept hearing were becoming a distraction. But he worked through the distraction. "You seem a little stressed out."

Dick stopped writing again and he looked up at the redhead by the door of his office. She was leaning against the wall with a hand on her hip. "Hi, Dick." She smiled.

"What are you doing here, Babs?" Dick asked as she walked over.

_"Not as bruised as mine. Well, it's more my spine than my flesh..."_

"What?" The woman, Babs, said. "Can't a girl visit her _fiancé_ without being questioned? I can leave if you don't want to see me."

Babs turned around and walked back towards the door. Dick sighed. "No, wait- Barbara, I'm sorry." He stated.

Barbara turned back around and walked back over. She dug into the pockets of her jacket and pulled something out. Barbara handed it to Dick and sat down on his desk, crossing her legs. She gave him a penny. Dick shook his head. "So what's up?" Barbara asked.

"Nothing," Dick replied, finishing the last of his paperwork.

"Nothing?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," He nodded.

"Bull, I'm not buying it." Barbara stated. "Something's always up with you, Dick."

"I'm just a little distracted today." Dick replied.

"Distracted by my amazing beauty?" Barbara flipped a lock of her wavy dark red hair over her shoulder.

He shook his head, letting out a small laugh.

"I just keep hearing these voices." He stated. "Every time I look up, there's no one there."

Barbara made a little tiny ghost noise and laughed afterwards. "I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little loopy today." She laughed.

"What did you drink?" Dick asked.

"I don't know; about five tequila shots." Barbara joked.

Dick gave her a look.

"OK, I'm sorry, I'll stop now." She cleared her throat.

Dick didn't do anything except look at her.

"What?" Barbara asked.

"You're such a loony toon." Dick commented.

"I'm sorry, I'll be serious now." Barbara stated. "I promise. You were talking about hearing voices, keep going."

"That's it, I've been hearing voices and they're driving me _crazy_!" He replied.

"How long have they been going on?" She asked.

"All day," He sighed.

"Why don't you ask Bruce for a day off?" Barbara suggested. "Maybe even a vacation."

"I need the money." Dick shrugged. "I still have a lot of bills and debts to pay off."

"So, why don't you talk to Leslie about it?" She asked.

"I will," He replied.

"Really?" Barbara said. "When?"

"I'll go when, and if, this thing gets serious."

* * *

Three girls walked into Damian's apartment after Mar'i had opened the door for them.

Two of them were redheads. One of the redheads had loose, curly, auburn waves and the other one had pin-straight copper hair. The other one had silky, straight dark hair. They were all around Mar'i's age. "Hey," The girl with copper hair greeted her.

It was silent afterwards. No one said a word or anything. They all just looked around the room or down at the floor. And there was some tension as well. "So, I'm Lian." The girl with auburn hair broke the silence. "That's Iris and Tula."

The girl, Lian, had motioned to the other redhead first before motioning to the girl with black hair. "I'm Mar'i." Mar'i smiled.

"Here, I brought you some clothes to wear." Lian handed Mar'i a glossy hot pink shopping bag with thick, horizontal light pink stripes. "I don't know if they'll fit, but you should still try them on."

Mar'i nodded and she turned on her heels. She walked away and past Damian's room. Mar'i entered the bedroom and quickly took the clothes out of the shopping bag Lian gave her. Mar'i began to undress. She got into black skirt with a high waist and pink floral print that flared at her hips and ended at her mid thighs. Mar'i put on a sleeveless, soft white v-neck blouse with a ruffled front. She slipped on a pair of champagne ankle-strap, platform sandals and walked out. "Do they fit?" Iris asked.

Mar'i nodded.

"How do they feel?" Tula asked. "Are they too big or too small? Tight?"

"They feel fine." Mar'i replied.

"Alright, so let's go then." Lian said.

* * *

"Can you get me the same top in another color, please?"

"Of course, Ms. Harper." One of the store clerks nodded.

"And the shoes too!" Lian added.

"I'll get them, Ms. Harper." Another clerk stated, walking after the other.

"Mar'i, are you done changing?" Iris asked.

"Yes," Mar'i replied.

Mar'i walked out of the fitting room. She was wearing a black sequined miniskirt that flared at her hips and ended at her mid thighs with a royal purple satin halter top and a pair of glittery black stiletto platforms. "That looks good." Lian commented.

"Do you want me to try on the jacket too?" Mar'i asked.

She was talking about the short-sleeved, black sequined mini-jacket on Tula's lap. Lian looked at it and nodded. "Yes, please." Lian replied.

Tula gave it to Mar'i and Mar'i put it on after she got it. "Perfect," Lian commented.

Lian turned to one of the clerks.

"Can we get the same skirt and jacket in silver and then the blouse in blue and green?" Lian asked.

"What about the shoes?" One of the clerks asked.

"Right, some strappy stiletto platforms will do." She nodded.

"Yes, Ms. Harper." The clerk nodded and she walked out of the room.

"So what are these clothes for?" Mar'i asked as she walked back into her changing room stall.

"We already bought you pajamas, house clothes, and casual clothes." Lian stated. "Now we're getting you clothes for dates, parties, etc."

"I don't even go to school, what makes you think I'll need these clothes?" Mar'i said.

"Damian said he's gonna get another hologram ring so he can pose as your dad and enroll you into Gotham Academy." Tula replied.

"Plus, they might be some cute guys, or hot ones, in Crime Alley." Lian added.

Mar'i rolled her eyes. "I don't think I'll be dating for a while." Mar'i said.

"Why?" Iris asked.

"Well, for starters, I've only been here for three days." She replied. "I need some time to adjust. Especially since I'll be living with Damian."

Mar'i walked out in her regular clothes. Just then the three clerks that left the fitting rooms to get Mar'i's clothes had walked back in. "She has a cool skin-tone, so we need colors that will compliment her skin and bring out her eyes." Lian stated. "And her hair, too."

"What do you have in mind?" A clerk asked.

"Preferably shades of gray, blue, pink, and purple." Lian replied.

"Anything else?" The clerk said

"Definitely fuchsia, burgundy, and slate-grey." Iris stated

"And black and white too." Tula added. "And that goes for shoes and accessories, not just the clothes."

The clerk nodded. She and a bunch of them walked out of the changing rooms, leaving the four girls alone. "Your dad's gonna kill you." Tula giggled.

"No shit," Lian chuckled. "But it's for a good cause."

Iris laughed. "Yes, and I'm the cause." Mar'i stated.

"And there's my proof." Lian said.

Most of the clerks came back with more clothes and shoes in the colors Iris, Lian, and Tula had suggested. They were in the same sizes as the other clothes and shoes. So Mar'i picked out the shoes and clothes she liked, though Lian, Iris, and Tula made a few suggestions and gave some tips. But once they were done, they paid for everything.

They had spent thousands of dollars buying things from the mall's, and most of Gotham's, expensive shops, stores, and boutiques. Designer clothing, shoes, accessories (handbags, scarves, sunglasses, etc.), makeup, authentic jewelry, and perfumes made by designer companies and celebrities. They bought it all. But they also but some necessities: undergarments, lingerie **(A/N: To those of y'all who think they're the same; Undergarments and lingerie are NOT the same, there is a difference between them.)**, shampoos and conditioner (specifically Frédéric Fekkai), etc.

By the time they actually finished, Mar'i was dead tired and her feet were hurting like crazy. "Do you guys wanna eat some place?" Lian asked.

Mar'i, Iris, and Tula looked at each other before nodding. "I can always go for a bite." Iris replied.

"That's because you have a fast metabolism." Tula stated.

"Alright, the Jade Garden shouldn't be too far from where we are now." Lian said.

"How do you know?" Mar'i asked. "I thought you didn't live in Gotham."

"I don't, but this mall is just like any other mall I've been too." She replied.

Lian began leading them through the floor. They made a few turns here and there as they walked past various stores and shops. "Lian's dad and grandfather have a lot of money too, so she goes to malls everyday." Iris rolled her eyes as they made a left at the next corner.

"Don't listen to Iris; I don't go to malls everyday." Lian shook her head. "I only go on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I _never_ go on school days; too much homework to do, a lot of tests and quizzes to study for, a lot of notes to memorize, and way to much stress to go through. Anyways, so after this we'll take you home."

"Alright," Mar'i nodded as they approached a Chinese restaurant.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

"See?" Barbara told Dick as they walked into an Asian restaurant in the Gotham City mall. "I told you Bruce would've given you a vacation if you just asked him."

Dick smiled as they approached a woman standing behind a mahogany podium. She gave them a white toothy smile as they stopped at the podium. "Mr. Grayson, welcome to the Jade Garden, so nice to see you again." She greeted them. "How many are in your party?"

"Two," Dick replied.

"Would you like to be seated at a booth or table?" The woman asked.

"A booth is fine." He stated.

The woman took out to menus from inside the podium. "Alright, follow me please." She said, motioning for them to follow as she turned on her heels.

She began walking them to a booth not too far from the entrance. The woman set down their menus on the table.

"Someone will be with you to take your orders." She stated.

"Thank you," Dick nodded as she walked away.

"So who is she?" Barbara asked.

"Really, Barbara?" Dick picked up a menu.

"What?" Barbara said as she took hers.

"You know what I'm talking about." He said quietly.

"No, I- _Oh_..." She replied.

"Exactly," Dick nodded.

"I am not jealous." Barbara stated.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive, I swear I'm not jealous." She replied.

"Her name's Marjie." Dick stated.

"How do you know her?" Babs asked.

"I've eaten at this place once or twice." He replied.

The woman, Marjie, had walked right past their booth. A group of four girls were following after her and they sat down in the booth in front of them. "One of them looks like Lian." Dick murmured as quietly as possible. "And the other two look like Iris and Tula."

"Roy's kid?" Barbara asked. "What's she doing all the way in the Gotham? And with Wally and Garth's kids?"

Dick shrugged. A waitress had walked up to Dick and Barbara. "Hey, I'll be your waiter this evening." The young girl said in a natural Southern accent. "Do y'all want anything to drink?"

"I think I'll just have a glass of water." Barbara replied.

"I'll stick to water too." Dick stated.

The girl nodded as she wrote it down in a notepad. "Are you guys ready to order?" She asked. "Or do you want a few more minutes?"

Dick looked at Barbara. "Babs, are you ready to order?" He said.

"I'm in the mood for some California rolls." Barbara replied.

"I'll have old-fashioned sushi." Dick stated.

She turned around and walked away after writing down their orders. As she left, a waiter had walked over to the booth behind him. Dick saw Barbara was keeping an eye on the girls in case something went wrong. "Just leave them alone." He chuckled quietly.

"I'm just making sure he doesn't pull anything on them." She murmuring "I don't like the way he look, or the way he's looking at them. Plus, he's way too old for them."

Dick looked at the guy over Barbara's shoulder. He had to admit, he sort of agreed with her. The waiter was probably in his early thirties and he definitely had a weird look in his eyes as he kept sweet talking the girls. "Would you ladies like anything to drink?" He asked them. "Maybe you'd like to look at our alcoholic beverage menu?"

"No, we'll just have Sprite." Lian stated.

"Alright," He nodded. "Are you ready to order? Or do you need some more time?"

"We're ready."

"See?" Dick said as the waiter walked off after he took their order. "They're fine."

Barbara rolled her eyes, turning around to the table behind them. "Hey, can we borrow a pen?"

"I don't know if I have one." Barbara started.

She checked her jacket and inside her bag for. Barbara looked back up. "Hey, Dick?" She asked.

Dick looked up from his menu. "What?" He replied.

"Do you have a pen?" Barbara asked.

He checked his pockets and pulled out a blue pen from his right pocket. "Thanks... Dick?" The girl looked at him with wide eyes.

The other two girls, Tula and Lian, looked at Dick too. But the other girl kept her face hidden in a menu.

"Hi, Lian." He said. "What are you three doing all the way here in Gotham?"

"We're just here with a friend." Tula replied.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Do your dads know that you guys are here?"

"Yeah." Iris nodded.

"Totally," Tula replied.

"Yep," Lian stated.

"You guys remember Barbara, right?" Dick motioned to the woman sitting across from him.

"Hi," Barbara smiled, waving lightly at the girls.

The three girls nodded. "Hi, Barbara." The three girls greeted her in unison.

"So, who's your friend?" She asked.

"Oh that's- Ow!" Iris hissed in pain.

Dick heard a 'thud'. "Who?" He asked.

"That's- Ouch!" Tula said.

Again there was another 'thud'. But Dick's phone rang. He reached into his pocket and answered the call. "Hello?" He said.

_"There's been a robbery at the Mint."_

It was _him_. "What do you want me to do about it?" Dick asked.

_"He's not to far from the mall, but he's taking a detour around it."_

"Where's he heading?" He said.

_"Crime Alley, but that's not important. Just try to cut him off. I'll meet you over there as soon as I can."_

"Got it." Dick nodded, ending the call.

"Who was it?" Barbara asked.

"Bruce," He replied.

"What did he want?" She said.

"He needs my _help_ with _something_." Dick stated.

Babs nodded, getting the message. They stood up from the booth just as the waitress brought them their food and drinks. "Is something wrong Mr. Grayson?" She asked.

"Important family matter," Dick replied.

"Would you like me to wrap your food up to go then?" She offered.

"Yeah, and you can just give the check to Barbara." He nodded, handing some money from his wallet to Barbara.

"I'll see you later." Barbara told him.

Dick nodded and he ran off.

* * *

"Welcome to the Jade Garden, how many are in your party?" A young, beautiful woman standing at a podium by the entrance asked.

"Four," Lian replied.

"Would you like to be seated at a booth or table?" She said.

The girls looked at one another and looked back at the woman. "Booth," They all replied in perfect unison.

"Right this way please." The woman stated as motioned the four teens to follow her as she swift took out four menus from the podium.

She began walking as the girls followed after her. She led them to a booth. The girls quickly sat down and began looking through their menus as the woman walked away from them. After a few minutes, a waiter had walked up to their table. "Would you ladies like anything to drink?" He asked them. "Maybe you'd like to look at our alcoholic beverage menu?"

"No, we'll just have Sprite." Lian stated.

"Alright," He nodded. "Are you ready to order? Or do you need some more time?"

"We're ready." Mar'i stated. "I'll have some pork fried rice."

"Spicy tuna rolls, please." Lian said.

"Lian, please don't order sushi." Tula groaned.

But Lian only smirked. Iris rolled her eyes. "I'll have beef lo mein." Iris stated.

"And I'll have sesame chicken with fried rice." Tula added.

The waiter nodded as he wrote down her order in a notepad and walked off afterwards. Lian turned to Mar'i. "We totally have to give you our numbers." She stated.

"Definitely," Iris nodded.

"Do any of you have a pen?" Lian asked Iris and Tula.

They both shook their heads. "Maybe the people in back of us might have one." Tula suggested, nodding back towards the man and woman sitting behind them.

She and Iris turned around. Iris tapped on the woman's shoulder as Lian got a napkin. The woman looked over. "Hey, do you have a pen we can borrow?" Iris asked.

"I don't know if I have one." The woman stated.

She checked her jacket and inside her bag for. The woman looked back up. "Hey, Dick?" She asked the dark-haired man sitting across from her.

The dark-haired man, Dick, looked up from his menu. Mar'i's eyes widened as she grabbed a small menu from the table and used it to hide her face. "What?" He replied.

"Do you have a pen?" The woman asked.

He checked his pockets and pulled out a blue pen from his right pocket. "Thanks... Dick?" Iris looked at him with wide eyes.

Tula and Lian looked at Dick too. But Mar'i kept her face hidden in a menu.

"Hi, Lian." He said. "What are you three doing all the way here in Gotham?"

"We're just here with a friend." Tula replied.

"Do your dads know that you guys are here?" Dick asked.

"Yeah." Iris nodded.

"Totally," Tula replied.

"Yep," Lian stated.

"You guys remember Barbara, right?" He said.

"Hi," Mar'i heard the woman say.

The three girls nodded. "Hi, Barbara." The three girls greeted her in unison.

"So, who's your friend?" She asked.

Mar'i's eyes widened again. She panicked. "Oh that's-"

Mar'i had kicked Iris from under the table.

"Ow!" Iris hissed in pain.

"Who?" Dick asked.

"That's-"

Mar'i kicked Tula this time

Ouch!" Tula said.

A phone rang and Mar'i sighed in relief. Their waiter returned with their food. Meanwhile, Dick was talking to Barbara. And as the waiter left, Dick and Barbara stood up from their table. A waitress carrying a tray of food and drinks approached them and talked to them for a few seconds. "I'll see you later." Barbara said.

Dick nodded and he ran out of the restaurant. Mar'i watch as Barbara paid the bill with money Dick had given, holding two Styrofoam containers in a plastic bag with a smiley face on it. After paying the bill, Barbara had turned around and left the Jade Garden

* * *

Mar'i removed her hologram ring and placed it inside the pocket on skirt.

"So, do you want us to stay and wait for Damian with you?" Lian asked as she, Iris, and Tula got ready to leave.

"No, I can't wait by myself." Mar'i stated. "It's getting late. From what Damian told me, Crime Alley isn't a place to be hanging out at night, so you should probably get home while it's still safe."

"Alright, we'll see you late, Mar'i." Tula nodded.

"Bye," Iris said as she, Lian, and Tula walked out the door.

Mar'i closed the door, but she heard a knock right after it closed. So she opened it again. It was a person wearing a faceless, dark blue face mask. But the mask was quickly removed, revealing Damian behind it. He was panting like crazy as if he just ran a marathon and ran all the way back to his apartment afterwards.

Damian closed the door and locked it. He looked through the peep-hole, as if trying to spy on whoever walked past his apartment. He sighed in relief. "Damian, what happened?" She asked.

"Cops... Batman... Nightwing," He panted.

"What did you do?" Mar'i folded her arms over her chest.

Damian held up a brown sack and dropped it on the floor right in front of her feet.

"Oh Damian, please don't tell me that you..." Mar'i trailed off.

"It took me a while to shake them off my trail." He stated as Mar'i opened the sack. "But losing Batman and Nightwing was a challenge."

"What the hell, Damian!?" She snapped, taking out a few hundreds from the sack. "You robbed a fucking bank!?"

"It was the Gotham City Mint."

"That's even worse!" Mar'i threw the cash back in.

"Like I said, some people steal to survive." He shrugged. "And I need the money."

"For what?" She asked. "I have the money Dick gave me."

"I have to pay off debts... a lot of them." Damian said.

Damian turned around to walk towards his bedroom. "Wait-"

He felt a hand wrap grab him by the wrist. "What?" He had an annoyed look on his face.

"At least let me clean you up." Mar'i sighed.

"What do you mean?" Damian rolled his eyes

"Your forehead, it's bleeding." She stated.

Damian touched around his forehead with his fingers, feeling something wet just inches away from his hairline. By then, Mar'i had already sat him down on the couch by then. "Do you have a first aid kit?" Mar'i asked.

"It's in the bathroom under the sink." Damian replied.

She nodded and walked out of the room. Damian looked around his apartment he noticed the thousands of glossy shopping bags on the floor.

"What did you guys do?" He said. "Buy the entire mall?"

"No, we went to every expensive shop, store, and boutique in Gotham and the mall." She replied as she re-entered the living room. "It was all Lian, not me."

Mar'i was carrying a large white case with a red cross on it. She set it down on the desk and opened t. Mar'i got out a clear, cylinder bottle filled with clear liquid and a plastic bag filled with cotton balls. She opened the bottle and took out a cotton ball. Holding the cotton ball to the collar, she poured the liquid onto it. "This might sting a little." Mar'i said as she gently dabbed the cotton ball on Damian's cut.

He winced a little. But that was it. She put a little pressure on the cut in case it was still bleeding. But after a little while, Mar'i removed the cotton ball and replaced it with a band-aid. As Damian stood up, she noticed a dark maroon stain on the front of his hoodie. "Wait!" Mar'i called after him. "Take off your shirt and your hoodie and lay down on the couch."

She helped Damian take off his blood-stained t-shirt and hoodie. She was relieved that it was his blood and no one else's. But she was more focused on the gash on the right side of his body. And, yet, she couldn't but blush a little when she saw his chest. But she immediately looked away. "How did you get them?" Mar'i asked as Damian lay down on the couch so his wound was facing towards her.

"I broke through glass, but Batman got me with his batarang." He replied as she pressed a damp paper towel on his side.

"You are such an idiot." She sighed, shaking her head.

There was a moment of silence as Mar'i kept remembering how to treat a wound.

"Is the water you get here clean?" Mar'i asked.

"There isn't any iodine in there?" Damian said.

Mar'i shook her head, removing the damp paper towel from his side.

"It's clean," He replied.

"The kitchen's closer so we'll rinse your wound then." She stated. "Can you walk?"

Damian made an attempt to sit up, hissing and wincing.

"Don't strain yourself." Mar'i placed a hand on his chest. "Just take it easy."

She carefully helped Damian onto his feet and supported him as he walked into the kitchen. She turned on the faucet and began rinsing the gash out with water. It was only for a little while though. And Mar'i turned the faucet off afterwards. "Do you think Batman and Nightwing will find you?" She asked him as she helped him back to the couch.

"I don't know, I led them halfway into Crime Alley but I was wearing a mask when I robbed the Mint." He replied.

Mar' helped lay him back down on the couch. She looked at his wound. Mar'i looked into it. She couldn't definitely see a lot of exposed flesh. And it didn't look like it could be pinched or pulled together easily. "You'll need stitches." Mar'i replied, pulling out a needle. "Do you some matches and fishing line?"

"The matches are in the drawer under the sink and the fishing line is in door before the bathroom." Damian nodded.

Mar'i left the living room for a while. But she came back with a box of matching and the fishing line. Mar'i opened the box and pulled out a match, handing both to Damian. "Can you light that up for me please?" She asked.

Damian nodded. Mar'i sighed as Damian quickly set the match on fire. She grabbed it and held the needle over the dancing flames. Afterwards, she just blew out the match and started threading the needle with the fishing line. "This is gonna hurt so try not to move." Mar'i stated. "Do you have a bullet on you?"

Damian reached into his pocket and pulled one out. Mar'i gave him a look but she shook her head.

"Open your mouth." She instructed him.

"Why?" He asked.

"Just do it." Mar'i replied.

He opened his mouth and Mar'i placed the bullet between his teeth.

"Good, now bite on it." She said as Damian closed his teeth on it.

Mar'i dug the needle into his skin, far away from the wound, pulled it out when it reached the over side of the wound from underneath. Damian winced and hissed in pain. Every quarter of an inch, she'd stop sewing to cut line with a pair of scissors and tie a knot. Then she'd start sewing again and it started all over again. It was a pattern.

Damian was still hissing in pain as Mar'i continued sewing. It was a pretty fat process, but it still hurt. Especially when she'd clean his wound with alcohol before starting to sew again. It burnt like hell. It was like burning your hand on a stove or accidentally touching a toaster, but worse. But, eventually, Mar'i finally finished and she tied the last knot. She cut the fishing line and fished out bandaging tape from the first aid kit. "You're gonna have to stand up." Mar'i stated.

Damian nodded, making an effort to get up as Mar'i helped him. She wrapped the bandage on the wound and around until she felt it was secured. Mar'i ripped the bandage and placed everything back in the first aid kit. She walked out of the room with the kit. Mar'i walked into the bathroom and placed the kit back in the cabinet under the sink.

The living room was silent when Mar'i walked back in. She dreaded the silence. Mar'i was used to noise. Silence was so foreign. "So, I heard that you're enrolling me into some high school." Mar'i said.

"Gotham Academy," Damian nodded.

Mar'i ignored his correction. "Why?" She asked. "The tuition's, like, a grand per month. How are we gonna afford to pay all that?"

Damian pointed to the brown sack full of cash by the door. "We'll find jobs too." He replied.

"Why?" Mar'i said. "We already have what you stole."

"Money doesn't last forever." Damian stated. "We have to patch up the hole we make every time we spend money on something."

It was silent again. But only for a little while. Damian was staring down at the floor as he sat on the couch. Meanwhile, Mar'i was still standing while her fingers fiddled around with her hair. "I already found us jobs."

Mar'i looked back up at Damian and their eyes met. She shook her head. "What?" Mar'i asked.

"I found us jobs." He stated. "There aren't any jobs open in Gotham, but I managed to find us one."

Mar'i kept listening for more details. She sat down next to him, legs tiring out from standing so much.

"The job is in a club and it's not too far from here." Damian said. "I found it walking over to the apartment down an alley. They're looking for bartenders, waiters, waitresses, and all that stuff."

"A club?" Mar'i repeated. "As in a nightclub? Like the ones in Gotham's red-light district?"

Damian nodded.

"Damian, we're not even old enough to be _in_ a club." She sighed. "What makes you think they'll want to hire minors?"

"It's an underage club, they'll hire us." He said.

Mar'i shook her head. "I can't do it." Mar'i stated. "I don't wanna make a living by serving kids booze, watching them get drunk, and knowing they'll end up with a hangover they next morning."

"Don't think of it from that point of view." Damian replied. "Think of it as a quick way to earn money. You'll be making underprivileged, and underage, kids happy. You take that job and you'll benefit from it. You'll be able to buy yourself a car, more clothes... _your own_ apartment with your own bed, bathroom, kitchen, furniture... "

Damian was playing devil's advocate. And Mar'i knew it. But, looking from his point of view, the job seemed like it had a lot to offer. It was tempting. Too tempting. She didn't know what to do. Giving kids alcohol was wrong, it was common sense instilled in every human being. But Damian was right; it was a quick way to earn easy money. "I know I'm gonna regret this, but I'll apply for the job." Mar'i stated.

And then glass shattered.

* * *

**_Meanwhile..._**

* * *

He was crouched down on the top of a building. He adjusted the focus on the binoculars as he looked through the window on the other building. Batman made out two people inside the apartment. A boy and a girl, both with dark hair. They both were probably both in their teen years. "Anyone else inside there?" A voice behind him asked.

"Just them," He replied.

"Where are the adults?" The voice said.

"If there was an adult inside that apartment, they would've shown up by now." He, Batman, stated. "It looks like they live together."

"That doesn't sound like a great idea." The voice, belonging to Nightwing, stated. "Think their married?" Nightwing asked.

"They're too young to be married." Batman shook his head.

"What makes you think it's that boy?" He asked.

"None of the other building's inhabitants match the height, weight, skin color, or body structure." He explained. "He fits into all four categories. And the tracker we placed on him led us here."

Batman kept looking through the window with his black binoculars, keeping tabs on both the girl and the boy. He wasn't looking for much. Just the mask on the thief they were hunting down.

After a while, Batman stood up from his crouched position. "He has the mask." Batman stated.

He handed Nightwing the binoculars. Nightwing looked through them as Batman reach for his utility belt and pulled out a gun. Nightwing followed by taking out a gun from his utility belt. Batman put the pair of binoculars away. Nightwing and Batman both pulled back on the triggers on their guns with their index fingers. Immediately, high-tensile cords claw with claw-shaped projectiles shot out of the guns. The claws latched onto the surface above the window, allowing them to be able to crash through it without any difficulties.

Batman jumped off the building first and immediately swung towards the window. His legs went through first, shattering the glass, and then his body followed. Nightwing had entered a few a few seconds after Batman. The cords retracted into the gun and both men put the grapple guns away.

* * *

They immediately turned their heads towards the window. "Shit," Damian cursed as he quickly put on his stained t-shirt and hoodie and his mask.

Mar'i had slipped her ring back on her right ring finger while she still sat on the couch as Batman and Nightwing crashed through their window. A masked Damian had aimed two pistols at the former dynamic duo, Batman and Nightwing -formerly Robin-. "Whatever happens, stay calm and neutral." He murmured as low and quiet as possible.

But Mar'i still heard him. She wasn't sure if her dad and Batman did though. "Should I fire a starbolt?" She whispered back in the same volume.

He tapped his foot once. _No. _"Don't even use your powers at all." He replied, keeping their conversation in the same volume. "You came here to escape from Batman and the Justice, right?"

Mar'i tapped her foot on the floor quickly. _Sort of. _

"Just don't do anything, act human and stay human." Damian stated.

* * *

The boy was standing by the couch, aiming a pistol at both Nightwing and Batman. He was wearing his mask, protecting his identity. "What took you guys so long?" The boy asked. "Hide 'n Seek never takes this long."

"Home was off-limits." Nightwing stated. "Jail was base."

Batman reached towards his belt and drew four batarangs. He threw them at the boy and they were shot down with a bullet. The boy fired a gunshot at Batman, but he ducked and rolled out of the way. Nightwing was holding a pair of escrima sticks in each hand. Just as Nightwing readied to attack, the boy yanked the girl up and held her against him by her waist. Her eyes widened as he placed the muzzles on the side of her head and over the center of her chest, just a bit towards the left. "Hands up," He stated, firmly placing his index fingers tight on the trigger. "You have two choices; either you get out and leave us alone or she gets a two-way."

By the tone of his voice, he wasn't kidding. Batman and Nightwing stood up straight with their hands up in the air. A shiny, sleek black glint caught Nightwing's eyes. He watched as Batman carefully and quietly opened a pair of batarangs in between his index and middle finger. "We'll leave you alone." Batman stated.

The boy slowly began lowering his gun. Batman fired the batarangs, knocking both guns out of the boy's hands. But one of them had sliced through the skin on the palm of the boy's right hand. The girl fell out of the boy's hold as Nightwing lunged at him. But the boy moved out of the way. Batman had aimed his fist at the boy's face but the boy kept using his arms to block. Batman would try punching and kicking at different places but each time the boy blocked. Until Batman finally kicked the boy in the gut. He felt someone tug back on his arm as he moved to continue attacking the boy. Batman yanked his arm back without even looking over his shoulder. But he heard someone fall behind him. He could only guess it was the girl trying to defend the boy, despite being used somewhat as a hostage.

Nightwing held his ground after the boy attempted to get him off his feet. He punched the boy square in the face. The boy stumbled. He shot a bullet from his gun. Nightwing dodged as bullets kept following him after his dodge. Just before another gunshot was fired, Nightwing had executed an uppercut. He used his escrima sticks for the following attacks but the boy used his arms once again as a way to block. The boy pulled the trigger on one of the pistols and fired a gunshot towards Nightwing's face. But Nightwing avoided it and immediately swept his leg under the boy's feet. The boy had lost his balance and he fell to the ground for a second before picking himself back up. "I've had enough of this." The boy said, reaching into his pockets.

He pulled something out and dropped it onto the floor. And the room was shrouded in thick, white smoke. The smoke slowly faded and it eventually cleared up. By then, the apartment was completely bare. The boy and the girl had left in the smoke. The furniture, the shopping bags, the money, it was all gone. Everything had disappeared.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Did you like it? Dislike it? Love it? I wanna know. And if y'all have any questions, feel free to PM me or drop a question in a review. I love answering questions and I promise I'll do my best to answer all of them. So R&R!  
**

_**~L. Dylan~  
**_

**Goal: 45-50 Reviews (please)**


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